event

Opening Ara Güler and Ece Gökalp

Join us for the opening of the new exhibitions A Play of Light and Shadow by Ara Güler and After Anahit by Ece Gökalp.

The shows will be opened by special guest Gunay Uslu (State Secretary Culture and Media of the Netherlands) on Thursday 22 June. You are welcome from 20.00 until 22.00 hrs for this festive event with free entrance, drinks, and music by the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra.

Ara Güler A Play of Light and Shadow

Ara Güler (1928-2018) was a prominent photojournalist and a driving force in Turkish photography. Celebrated as ‘The Eye of Istanbul’, his poignant black and white images show his profound love for Istanbul and Turkey. Through four sections, The Iconic, The Historic, The Ambassador, and The Personal, the exhibition shows Güler’s photographic practice from his iconic work as a photojournalist to his remarkable experimental work.

The exhibition is a close collaboration between Foam, co-curator Ahmet Polat and the Ara Güler Museum.

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Galata Docks, Istanbul, 1962 © Ara Güler / Ara Güler Museum.

Ece Gökalp After Anahit

Ece Gökalp's exhibition in Foam 3h revolves around two major events that took place in the Northeast of Turkey. With this project, Gökalp sheds light on conflicts related to cultural heritage, ecological devastation, and the complexities of changing geography due to historical events through in-depth research, photography, and archival material.

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Image from the series After Anahit © Ece Gökalp.

The exhibitions 'A Play of Light and Shadow' and 'After Anahit' are part of Kısmet, a close collaboration between Studio Polat and Foam. The multi-year project explores the complexity of Turkish visual culture, seen through the perspective of different generations of image-makers. Kısmet has been made possible by the generous support of the Mondriaan Fund.

Foam is supported by the VriendenLoterij, Foam Members, De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, the VandenEnde Foundation and the city of Amsterdam.


dark house with lights on and snowy mountain in the background

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Opening Ara Güler and Ece Gökalp