“Ozan Sağdıç: The Photographer's Testimony” Exhibition Event

Wednesday, June 12, 2024, 18.00
Istanbul Modern Auditorium
Speaker: Ozan Sağdıç
Moderators: Demet Yıldız Dinçer, Merih Akoğul and Dr. Ruhi Oğuz Sağdıç

Within the scope of the exhibition “The Photographer's Testimony,” which hosts a wide selection of works by Ozan Sağdıç—one of the most important figures in the history of photography in Türkiye—exhibition curators Demet Yıldız Dinçer, Merih Akoğul and the exhibition's advisor Dr. Ruhi Oğuz Sağdıç will hold a talk with the artist Ozan Sağdıç. On June 12, the event will focus on the works of the artist, one of the most important representatives of photojournalism in the country which had its “golden age” when he started out in the field. It will also focus on documentary photography, which is recognized as one of the most widespread genres of photography in the world.

Sponsored by Burgan Bank, “Ozan Sağdıç: The Photographer's Testimony” exhibition reflects the 70-year photography career of the artist who documented Türkiye from many angles. In the words of Demet Yıldız Dinçer, one of the curators of the exhibition, “Ozan Sağdıç has been creating a new visual language in the field of photography in Türkiye with his works since the beginning of his career while bearing witness to the cultural, political, economic and sociological history of the country.”

Merih Akoğul, another curator of the exhibition, states that Sağdıç makes no intervention in the flow of life other than taking photographs, and summarizes the spirit of the artist's photographs as follows: “The moments Sağdıç captures in the natural flow of life sincerely meet with the viewer looking at his work. This makes Sağdıç's photographs unique.”

The selection in the exhibition consists of 127 black-and-white and color photographs, including portraits of politicians who shaped the country, prominent figures in art and literature, as well as those that reflect street life with a humanist perspective. The latter are full of ordinary people working and having fun during a period of comprehensive change. The exhibition presents a visual panorama of the country starting from the 1950s, and the techniques and period in which the photographs were produced, with vintage prints and examples from Hayat magazine.

The event is free of charge.

The conversation will be held in Turkish.



Image:

Ozan Sağdıç, 1934
Working with Photojournalist Colleagues
Ankara, 1970s (detail)
Istanbul Museum of Modern Art
Photography Collection