212 Photography Istanbul returns with global voices, bold contrasts

Welcome to Al-Monitor Istanbul.

Istanbul has inspired legions of photographers, so this week’s edition zooms in on the medium, thanks to the latest edition of the 212 Photography Istanbul festival. In addition, there is Monochrome, the darkroom-brasserie where images meet food, a documentary on Ara Guler, the city’s legendary “eye,” and acknowledgment of a few key dates in the history of photography. Together, they frame Istanbul through solitude and crowds, light and shadows.

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Thanks for reading,

Nazlan (@NazlanEr on X)

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1. Leading the week: 212 Photography Istanbul

Cooper & Gorfer, “Segal and The Tiger.” Courtesy of 212 Photography Istanbul.

The festival 212 Photography Istanbul returns with its signature flair for mixing and matching, this edition including Turkish and foreign voices, fashion and funerary stones, high-gloss galleries and hidden cemeteries. The citywide event runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, offering assorted pleasures through venue-hopping and fascinating contrasts.

Start at Yapı Kredi Bomontiada, where the artist duo Cooper & Gorfer present “Between These Folded Walls, Utopia,” a portrait series on womanhood, migration and imagination. Working with young refugee women, Sarah Cooper and Nina Gorfer transform personal stories into mythic, collective images that challenge the conventions of portraiture. While there, also step into “A Suspended Tomorrow,” a thought-provoking exhibition on works by Erwin Olaf.

Change costumes in Akaretler, where Tamer Yilmaz’s “Tamera” charts three decades of fashion photography, from analogue graininess to digital sheen, as curated by Izzeddin Calislar. You are likely to meet celebrities there — and not just on the walls.

Tugberk Acar, “Tamer Yılmaz and Azra Akin,” in which the photo artist Tamer Yilmaz (right) joins his subject. Courtesy of 212 Photography Istanbul.

Next, at the Istiklal Art Gallery take in ironic scenes from everyday life in “Close to the Surface,” featuring images by Turkish artists Zeynep Karabacak, Guliz Kayahan, Dilara Pak, Efe Temizturk and Hilal Ozdemir. Their photographs, videos and collages are dedicated to the late Levend Kilic, a scholar and mentor who devoted his career to photography and visual culture.

Scale up to a marquee-level event at MGSU Tophane-i Amire, where Steve McCurry’s “The Haunted Eye” premieres under great architecture. The exhibition presents nearly 200 of the award-winning photographer’s images spanning five decades, from well-known portraits to works on display for the first time. 

Steve McCurry, “Young Monks in the Rain.” Courtesy of 212 Photography Istanbul.

No, not all of the festival events are on the European side of the city. The Swedish artist Erik Johansson brings a surrealist touch to “Between the Shadows” at Yeldegirmeni Sanat, in Kadikoy. His digitally manipulated photographs initially appear to be serene, balanced compositions, but upon closer examination reveal hidden conflicts and subconscious tensions.

The shows highlighted here are only the beginning. More images, activities, and artistic delights await your discovery around the city during this year’s 212 Photography Istanbul.

📍 Where: Check locations here.
🗓️ When: Until Oct. 12 

2. Word on the street: Monochrome

Monochrome Bomontiada, with its muted tones and splashes of orange. Courtesy of Perla Design.

Let’s keep the shutter clicking and focus on Monochrome, the brasserie in the Ara Guler Museum–Leica complex at Yapi Kredi Bomontiada and its sister establishment at Galataport.  The eateries’ interiors echo a darkroom, with black-and-white tones, light boxes, vintage cameras, and walls alive with photographic images. The menu reflects the same layering, offering bowls of falafel, beef, chicken, or teriyaki salmon.

📍Where: Yapi Kredi Bomontiada Birahane Sokak No:1/C Bomonti 

📍Where: Galataport, Kiliçali Pasa Mah. Meclis-i Mebusan Cad. Blok L1, Zemin Kat No:8/11E

3. Istanbul diary

Murat Palta, “The Wonder Blues,” at Hope Alkazar. Courtesy of Murat Palta.

• “United Waters, Sprouting Hopes,” at Hope Alkazar on Istiklal Street, brings together 15 contemporary artists for the show curated by Sinan Eren Erk. Running through Oct. 27, the exhibition explores the intricate relationship between nature and urban life, showcasing how they intertwine in fragile yet hopeful ways.
• At the Martch Art Project, “Emergency Kit for Dummies,” curated by T. Melis Golar, considers survival strategies amid disaster and crisis, turning the idea of an “emergency kit” into unexpected artistic escape routes.
• Oktoberfest lands at Volkswagen Arena on Oct. 4. Goran Bregovic, Istanbul Klezmer Kapelye, and Tugce Senogul and Seda Erciyes provide a festival mood. For tickets, see here.