Ara Güler
A Play of Light and Shadow
Ara Güler is a renowned photojournalist who captured the essence of Turkey and the world beyond. The exhibition A Play of Light and Shadow shows both iconic and unknown parts of Güler's oeuvre. The show serves as a testament to Turkey's rich history and offers a glimpse into the ever-evolving Turkish identity.
About the exhibition
Through four sections, The Iconic, The Historic, The Ambassador, and The Personal, the visitor is immersed in Güler’s photographic practice from his iconic work as a photojournalist to his remarkable experimental work. His evocative black-and-white photographs show his profound love for Istanbul and Turkey. The exhibition will also be accompanied by the eponymous publication A Play of Light and Shadow, with contributions from several specialists in the field.
The exhibition is a close collaboration between Foam, co-curator Ahmet Polat and the Ara Güler Museum.
About Ara Güler
Ara Güler (1928-2018) was a prominent photojournalist and a driving force in Turkish photography. Celebrated as ‘The Eye of Istanbul’, his poignant black and white images of this city’s inhabitants, streets and docks remain his most celebrated works. Ara Güler immortalized numerous famous artists and political figures throughout his illustrious career.
Shop the publication
Being a testament to Turkey’s rich history, A Play of Light and Shadow offers a contemporary view of Ara Güler’s work while also providing the opportunity to explore iconic and unknown parts of it.
With text contributions by art historian Kim Knoppers, curator and head of the photography department at Istanbul Modern Demet Yıldız Dinçer, photographer and filmmaker Ahmet Polat, curator and head of exhibitions at Foam Claartje van Dijk and the Ara Güler Museum and Ara Güler Archives and Research Center.
Foam Talks podcast
In this episode of Foam Talks, Foam moderator Yasemin Bağcı speaks about Ara Güler’s extraordinary oeuvre with curator Claartje van Dijk and exhibition manager of the Ara Güler Museum, Tuana Pulak. Together they explore the lifework of Ara Güler, spanning over 70 years, why he identified as a visual historian, his gigantic archive and his surprising personal work that is shown to the public for the first time.
Article "I'm listening to Istanbul..."
A Closer Look at the Work of Ara Güler
Kısmet
The exhibition of Ara Güler is the centrepiece of Kısmet, an initiative created and developed in close collaboration between Studio Polat and Foam. The multi-year project is inspired by longstanding cultural, diplomatic and economic ties between Turkey and the Netherlands. Kısmet delves into the diverse and intricate facets of Turkish visual culture, as seen through the lens of different generations of image makers.
A Play of Light and Shadow was made in collaboration with the Ara Güler Museum.
This exhibition is made possible by the generous support of main sponsor Garanti BBVA International Amsterdam.
This exhibition is part of Kısmet, a close collaboration between Studio Polat and Foam. Kısmet has been made possible by the generous support of the Mondriaan Fund.
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Ara Güler
A Play of Light and Shadow