Ozan Sağdıç: The Photographer's Testimony

Istanbul Modern Photography Gallery is hosting Ozan Sağdıç, one of the most important living figures in the world of photography in Türkiye. The exhibition "Ozan Sağdıç: The Photographer's Testimony," which includes a wide selection of the artist's works from the 1950s onwards, was sponsored by Burgan Bank. 

Istanbul Modern continues its exhibitions focusing on the masters of photography in Türkiye with Ozan Sağdıç. The exhibition titled "Ozan Sağdıç: The Photographer's Testimony," which includes a wide selection of the artist's works since the 1950s focuses on documentary photography. Burgan Bank is sponsoring the exhibition, which aims to shed light on Türkiye's social, political, economic, cultural, and visual history.

Ozan Sağdıç, who has played an important role in the formation of Türkiye's visual archive throughout his 70-year career, documents the juxtaposition of change and stagnation with his photographs and with his works carried out in many countries, particularly in Istanbul and Ankara. The diversity of subjects in his works and his ironic power of observation in the face of human experiences make Sağdıç a witness of Türkiye, which has been shaped in interaction with the changing and transforming world since the 1950s.

 The exhibition was curated by Istanbul Modern Curator and Head of Photography Department Demet Yıldız Dinçer and photographer/writer Merih Akoğul, while Dr. Ruhi Oğuz Sağdıç took part as a consultant. 

“Ozan Sağdıç: The Photographer's Testimony” includes portraits of the politicians who shaped the country and influential figures of art and literature, as well as black and white and color photographs reflecting the street life full of ordinary people including workers, entertainers, travelers, and children in every area and period where change took place. 

Prints from the artist's darkroom 

The exhibition includes 127 photographs, including prints from Ozan Sağdıç's darkroom. While the technique and period in which the photographs were produced are conveyed through the vintage prints in the exhibition and examples from Hayat magazine, a visual panorama of the country beginning from the 1950s is presented to the audience. “The Photographer's Testimony" exhibition of Sağdıç, one of the most important representatives of photojournalism in the country, which started to experience its "golden age" in the world and in Türkiye when he got started in photography, also highlights the versatility of the artist's work.

A photographic and visual journey 

Drawing attention to the fact that Istanbul Modern brings together the development and transformation of photography in Türkiye and the world with art lovers, at times through the lens of masters and at times through the lens of young artists, Oya Eczacıbaşı, Chair of the Board of Istanbul Modern, said:  

"After featuring some of the leading names of photography in Türkiye such as Şahin Kaygun, Gökşin Sipahioğlu, Yıldız Moran, Ara Güler, Lütfi Özkök, and Şakir Eczacıbaşı, we are hosting a special selection of the works of another master, which he has compiled over the course of 70 years. The exhibition titled “The Photographer's Testimony” by Ozan Sağdıç, one of Türkiye's most important photographers, reveals the moments witnessed at different times of our Republic, the 100th anniversary of which has passed. As both a photojournalist and a photographer, Sağdıç's photographs have captured the cultural, political, and sociological history of Türkiye and take the audience on a photographic and visual journey starting from the 1950s."

We are witnessing Ozan Sağdıç reaching young people

Emphasizing that they are happy to be a supporter of the second photography exhibition bringing together art lovers in Istanbul Modern's new museum building, Burgan Bank General Manager Murat Dinç said: “As Burgan Bank, while working with the aim of providing the best customer experience with our innovative understanding in the banking sector, we are adding color to the life to our customers with our support in the field of culture and arts. Within the scope of our long-term planned cultural and artistic activities, we contribute to bringing the original ideas and artworks of valuable artists to society. As the sponsor of “The Photographer's Testimony” exhibition of the valuable artist Ozan Sağdıç, who photographed some of the most important moments in Türkiye's history, we are proud to witness this unforgettable exhibition reaching young audiences in particular. We would like to thank everyone who contributed.”

A layered archive waiting to be discovered  

Noting that a comprehensive selection was made from Ozan Sağdıç's archive containing hundreds of thousands of photographs, Demet Yıldız Dinçer, one of the curators of the exhibition, said: "While the exhibition reveals the broad perspective of the artist's work, it also shows that there are many layers waiting to be discovered. The selection in the exhibition reminds the audience that many readings of Sağdıç's oeuvre are possible, with a presentation that includes many aspects of the past, rather than a montage that contains nostalgia. We would like to thank dear Ozan Sağdıç, who supported us with great care while preparing the exhibition," she said.

Treating testimony like poetry 

Merih Akoğul, one of the curators of the exhibition, noted that Ozan Sağdıç participated in no intervention in the flow of life other than taking photographs and said: “For this reason, those who look at his photographs immediately see the detail that Sağdıç wants to emphasize. Ozan Sağdıç treats his thoughts and testimonies like poetry in his photographs. The moments he captures in the natural flow of life greet the audience who looks at his photographs with sincerity. This makes Sağdıç's photographs unique."

The “Ozan Sağdıç: The Photographer's Testimony” exhibition can be viewed at Istanbul Modern until October 20, 2024.  

Who is Ozan Sağdıç?

Ozan Sağdıç was born in the Pelitköy neighborhood in the district of Burhaniye in 1934. Sağdıç's childhood and early youth years were spent in the nearby district of Edremit. Sağdıç, who attended middle school in Izmir, was a student of painter Abidin Elderoğlu. Sağdıç, who went to high school as a boarding student at Kabataş High School in Istanbul, got his first box camera during the summer of 1953 and started taking various images of Istanbul. The infamous incident of 1954 when the Bosphorus was covered with ice was his first pivotal experience with photography.

Sağdıç worked as an assistant projectionist at the Lale Cinema in his hometown, Edremit, and worked as a page editor at the Edremit newspaper published by his brother. He returned to Istanbul in 1955 and got a job at Foto Sait, the first photography studio to which he applied. One evening, Mr. Sait brought him to the board of directors of the Istanbul Public Photographers Association and enabled him to become the secretary of the association. Through this position, he got to know all the photographers working in the sector in Istanbul. He learned all the subtleties of portrait photography with the observation and volunteer assistance he undertook in the studio of Şevket Tanju, the president of the association. He photographed the beautiful corners of Istanbul with a Rolleiflex camera he borrowed.

Sağdıç attracted the attention of the team that began publishing the weekly Hayat magazine in 1956, and as soon as the magazine started publication, he became one of its first two photojournalists together with Ara Güler and worked in the Istanbul staff of Hayat until 1960. In 1960, he was appointed to the Ankara bureau of Hayat, which opened that year. 

Sağdıç continued his journalism and photography career in Ankara from that point forward. He also started taking stage photographs of the State Theaters in Ankara. He took part in the printed publications of this institution and made the first theater posters with graphic concerns. Meanwhile, he produced examples of book and publication covers in line with the contemporary graphic approach. He made great contributions to the archives and promotional publications of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

A photograph he sent to The British Journal of Photography in 1968 was published as "Photo of the Year.” Sağdıç, who has held approximately 50 personal exhibitions in Türkiye and abroad to date, has attracted special attention with his music-synchronized slide shows that he has presented at various times. He gave lectures on the art of photography at Ankara University's Faculty of Communication and Hacettepe University's Fine Arts Faculty when these programs were established. 

For his contributions to Turkish photography, he was elected as an honorary member by the Ankara Photography Artists Association (AFSAD) and the Bursa Photograph Art Association (BUFSAD) and was among the founding members of the Photographic Art Society (FSK). In addition to being a Member of the UNESCO National Commission Culture Committee and the Art Advisory Board of the Ministry of Culture during various periods, Sağdıç served as an art consultant for many organizations such as the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE), the Turkish Culture Foundation, and Turkiye Development Foundation (TKV).  In addition to the State Artist title he received in 1998, he is the owner of many awards such as the Art Institution Award in 1985, the 2014 Aydın Doğan Award, the 2020–2021 Photographic Arts Association of Türkiye (TFSF) Artist of the Year, and the 2023 Contemporary Arts Foundation (ÇAĞSAV) Art Award.