Photographer Vedat Açıkalın opened his latest exhibition, "Çanakkale: Yesterday - Today" at the İzmir Art and Sculpture Museum Kültürpark Art Gallery. The exhibition features portraits of Turkish and Anzac veterans, who once fought against each other, now aged 92 to 104. Explaining that the photographs were taken at commemoration ceremonies, Açıkalın said that this exhibition is the result of 25 years of work. "I thought that old veterans who fought at the Battle of Gallipoli would probably not be alive on the centenary of the battle in 2015. So I took all their photos and documented this important and historical moments with my camera during the commemoration ceremonies of the Battle of Gallipoli in its 75th anniversary in 1990," Açıkalın said. He said that he brought Turkish and Anzac veterans that fought against each other in the battle together and photographed them. He also said that he conducted interviews with some of the veterans. "I was very emotional," he said, "I did not want to miss out on the impressive moments that happened 25 years ago. I wanted to show Turks the excitement of the friendship that was created through the grandchildren of the soldiers who fought at the Battle of Gallipoli." The exhibition will be open until June 7 displaying 88 photographs of the grandchildren of the Anzac soldiers, the tools that were used during the battle and historical documents in addition to the photographs of the Turkish and Anzac soldiers.
When: Until June 7
Where: İzmir Art and Sculpture Museum Kültürpark Art Gallery
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