BRID6E Photographers in Galata

In the exhibition titled "Brid6e", Istanbul Modern Photograhy Gallery presented recently commissioned works focusing on the subject of Galata Bridge by six photographers, who are among the most outstanding and innovative names in photography in Turkey.

In the projects they have specially developed for this exhibition, not only have they aimed to reflect the historical significance of the area and its associations for Istanbul, but they have also sought to expose the impact of changing living conditions and the diversity of urban development on the area in an attempt to generate fresh understandings of Galata and its significance. The works in the exhibition revealed the different ages of Galata, its multicultural past, architectural characteristics, and inimitable way of connecting East and West as a crossroads or junction between different urban realities.

These works ranged from photographs that compress different moments on Galata Bridge into a single frame, to collages that recreate its multicultural history through reference to both visual and literary materials; from wide, panoramic images running wall-to-wall, to installations that focus on different aspects of interior space. By way of setting the scene, the introductory wall carried a facsimile of the letter Leonardo da Vinci addressed to Sultan Bayezıt II in 1502, offering his services to build a bridge over the Golden Horn, as well as reproductions of his resulting drawings, the originals of which are kept in the Topkapı Palace; and reproductions of design for Galata Bridge in Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing notebook, the originals of which are kept in the Bibliotèque de L’Institut de France in Paris. The exhibition presented a panorama including Galata Bridge, which the Sébah&Joaillier studio photographed in 1890, which is in the Istanbul Modern photography archive.

Artists: Merih Akoğul, Ahmet Elhan, Cemal Emden, Orhan Cem Çetin, Murat Germen, Ömer Orhun

Curator: Engin Özendes