The Landskrona Photography Festival being held in Sweden is presenting the special photography collection of Istanbul Modern in the exhibition "Focus: Turkey." The collection features the works of artists engaging in different technical and representation forms of photography. The exhibition introduces 57 photographs by 15 professional artists. As Turkey's only museum with a separate gallery for photography, Istanbul Modern showcases the country's largest institutional photography collection initiated ten years ago.
Currently, the collection has 7,500 pieces and continues to grow. The artistic photographs range from the Ottoman Empire, 1920's, the early years of the Republic of Turkey to the present. The landmark collection recognizes one of the most important archives of Turkey. Among the artists whose works on display are Ali Alışır, Kerem Ozan Bayraktar, Fatma Belkıs, Dilan Bozyel, Yusuf Darıyerli, Murat Germen, Ege Kanar, Sevim Sancaktar, Sinan Tuncay, Gözde Türkkan, Sencer Vardarman, Devin Yalkın, Begüm Yamanlar, Sarp Kerem Yavuz and Cemre Yeşil. Displaying up-todate photography works, the exhibition focuses on personal narration, perception of urban life, the concepts between reality and fiction. The artists depict photography, not only as an activity to reflect daily life, but also a means to interpret it through sociopolitical and aesthetic implications.
The works opens door to different interpretations, using the power of polysemy and ambiguity. The artists mostly create a personal narration by harmonizing reality and fiction with subjective interpretations. Everyday lives, memory, the personal archives of the artists are the main subjects of experimental and conceptual photographs which reflect the artists' subjective perceptions of space. In addition to analog works, the exhibition shows photography-based videos, installations, images and computergenerated visual images. More explicitly, photography turns into a means of communication.The collection is the latest series of shows that Istanbul Modern held in major cities of Europe and the Middle East.
When: Until 26 August
Where: Teaterparken, Landskrona-Sweden
