TO END IN A PHOTOGRAPH

The exhibition, organized in collaboration with the NGO Yanındayız (We Stand by You) Association, aims to promote gender equality by merging the power of art with social responsibility to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8. Taking place at Ark Kültür in Istanbul’s Cihangir neighborhood from March 6 to April 6, 2025, the exhibition showcases 28 works by 22 photographers and explores how photography influences our memories, transforms visual perception, and reflects the social roles of women in art history. In our interview, Beral Madra, the exhibition’s curator, shares insights into the cultural and political impacts of photography in the digital age, along with her views on both the exhibition and photography itself.

PAPER: Everything seems to end up in a photograph. By that, I don’t mean black-and-white photos staged by an artist who appreciates analog film, but rather the plethora of spontaneous social media posts. What are your thoughts on the rapid evolution of images and the possibility that they diverge from the values we associate with them in our society?

Beral Madra: I have curated numerous photography exhibitions since the 1960s, largely due to my husband, Teoman Madra, being a photographer. The evolution of photography from 1822 to the present has created a vast ocean of images, establishing a foundation for digital technology and artificial intelligence. Digital technology and AI depend on the extensive and rich legacy of photography to produce their seemingly accurate results. Thus, to understand these countless images that lack genuine memory—or to avoid being misled—we must recognize the importance of being informed. The eager consumer of AI appears unaware of this context. Our choices hold little significance without a solid understanding of the subject. This exhibition relates to this framework only in the way artists integrate AI into their work, which is not the primary focus of the images on display.

P: How does your take on this matter find a place in this exhibition?

BM: It is impossible to remain indifferent to the appalling situation concerning women’s identity in Türkiye. Murders committed in the name of honor have spiraled out of control since the early 2000s. Patriarchal influence is spreading, making women more vulnerable than ever. I have organized exhibitions and panels on March 8 for a long time now. This year’s exhibition was made possible through the initiative of Hülya Kızılırmak, the generous support of Gülfem Köseoğlu, the founder of Ark Kültür, and the valuable contributions of several artists. Every sentence of Susan Sontag’s 1977 book ‘On Photography’ testifies to the importance of photography in an individual’s mental and spiritual existence. As we all feel the signs of post-capitalism today, I am reminded once again of her timeless words: ‘A capitalist society requires a culture based on images. It needs to furnish vast amounts of entertainment in order to stimulate buying and anesthetize the injuries of class, race, and sex. And it needs to gather unlimited amounts of information, the better to exploit natural resources, increase productivity, keep order, make war, give jobs to bureaucrats. The camera’s twin capacities, to subjectivize reality and to objectify it, ideally serve these needs and strengthen them.’ Replace the word ‘camera’ with ‘artificial intelligence’ in the final sentence, and you will see how relevant Sontag’s ideas still are even after 50 years.

P: Do you believe photography receives the recognition it deserves as an art form in Türkiye? Is there a clear distinction between ‘fashion’ photographers, ‘advertising’ photographers, and ‘art’ photographers who are regarded as true artists?

BM: Photography has existed in Turkey for approximately 200 years. It was the first artistic discipline and the catalyst that sparked modernism beyond Europe’s borders. Photography’s significance in Turkish contemporary art began in the 1960s and evolved in the 1970s, influenced by the Conceptual Art movement. According to the general public, bureaucrats, and the media, anyone who can adequately cover a song is also seen as an artist. I believe there should be a distinction among photographers in this country, as you mentioned. In terms of artistic output, there exists political, economic, and cultural rendition and critique in the framework of photography. The criteria for the overall production of an artist utilizing photography as a medium determines whether the work is considered art. Artists who produce photographs have garnered interest from the elite and achieved international visibility; however, this often occurs through personal efforts. Türkiye’s official cultural and artistic policies do not recognize photography. We still lack a state museum or art center dedicated to photography, which I believe explains everything.

P: How has photography influenced your career? Which photographers have had the greatest impact on you? What effect have these individuals had on society?

BM: I have showcased photography in both domestic and international exhibitions I have curated since 1980. My husband Teoman Madra’s pioneering efforts in modern media art since the 1970s have undoubtedly shaped my professional relationship with photography. The most notable characteristic of the artists who have influenced me is their adept use of the ‘truth’ aspect of photography, which they subtly embed in the viewer’s subconscious alongside political, economic, and social themes and metaphors. This body of photographic work creates a rich visual memory both in Türkiye and around the world, holding significant epistemological weight. I would like to highlight the late photographer Paul McMillen. In 1999, he opened the Photography Gallery in Nişantaşı for Pamukbank and invited me to curate the inaugural exhibition. I organized an exhibition titled ‘Kem Göz Has Bakış’ and wrote an article addressing the relevance of photography today, including a quote from Vilém Flusser: ‘…and it turned out that photography and film replaced traditional painting not because they were ‘more objective’ but rather because they were better at ‘deceit.’

The exhibition at Ark Kültür will showcase works by Yeşim Ağaoğlu, Halil Altındere, Ani Çelik Arevyan, İlgen Arzık, Laleper Aytek, Zeynep Beler, Ali Borovalı, Canan, Ferhat Özgür, Emine Ceylan, Orhan Cem Çetin, Sinem Dişli, Zeren Göktan, Gül Ilgaz, Ali Kabaş, İbrahim Karakütük, Şükran Moral, Esra Özdoğan, Alp Sime, Lale Tara, Cansu Yıldıran, and Cemre Yeşil, focusing on the theme of women’s identity in society. I thank them for their contributions and trust in me.