The distinguished 90-year-old photographer Izzet Keribar presented his exhibition,“Prague & Bohemya – Tarihten Yansıyan Işık” (“Prague and Bohemia — Light Reflected from History") at Galeri Işık Teşvikiye, drawing art enthusiasts from across the city.
Organized with contributions from the Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Istanbul and supported by Yüce Auto Skoda, the exhibition reflects Keribar’s rich visual memory, spanning both his earlier works and his most recent travels.
At the opening, Czech Consul General in Istanbul Olga Hajflerova welcomed attendees, saying, “This exhibition presents the Czech Republic through the eyes of a treasured Turkish photographer. This project is especially meaningful to me, both professionally and personally, because it began with a beautiful moment of serendipity.”
Hajflerova shared the story behind the exhibition’s creation:
“About a year ago, Ali Yüce and our teams met at Istanbul Modern to discuss cultural projects. While admiring İzzet Keribar’s ‘Journey of Colors’ exhibition, we unexpectedly met professor İlber Ortaylı and Keribar. What began with smiles turned into introductions and our conversation led to collaboration. This wonderful exhibition is the result of that chance encounter.”
Hajflerova highlighted the contemporary significance of Keribar’s photography: “Keribar shows us how similar our countries, people, lives and dreams truly are. Seeing the potential to strengthen and enrich our closeness firsthand is incredibly reassuring.”
Keribar expressed gratitude to the exhibition’s supporters, stating, “When I guided the late İlber Ortaylı through my Istanbul Modern exhibition, I met Ms. Olga. We immediately became friends. The creation of this exhibition was initiated by Consul General Olga Hajflerova. Without the support of Skoda Türkiye CEO Ali Yüce, this exhibition might not have achieved its current quality. I also sincerely thank the Feyziye Mektepleri Foundation. In my view, this is one of the most beautiful locations in Istanbul. This is my fifth exhibition at Galeri Işık in the last ten years.”
Curator Merih Akoğlu told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Keribar is among Türkiye’s most important photographers and that he continued working in Prague up to just a few weeks before the exhibition opened.
“This exhibition features 41 works, all large-format and in color, including images from Keribar’s previous visits to Prague as well as new photographs taken specifically for this show,” Akoğlu said. “Some images explore special techniques. The exhibition was curated from thousands of photos, and we also published a book covering both Prague and Bohemia. The book includes many photographs from the exhibition as well as others not on display.”
The exhibition, featuring a curated selection of Keribar’s photographs from different periods of his travels, will remain open to visitors through the end of April.
