Ara Güler - The Eye of Istanbul
2014.11.22 - 2015.3.28

Ara Güler - The Eye of Istanbul

· The Turkish iconic photographer Ara Güler, the member of ‘Magnum Photos’ whom Henri Cartier-Bresson has Acclaimed and Recommended.
· 100 lyrical documents that spread out Turkey worldwide.
· Only chance to encounter with original prints from the ‘Ara Museum’ collection

Ara Güler is the world’s greatest photographer who was born in Turkey in 1928. He has documented all outdoors with his camera, but his heart is always at Istanbul, the priorly Constantinople, the capital of Ottoman Empire. He is “The Eye of Istanbul” who devoted his entire life to capture Turkey and Istanbul. ‘Istanbul’ is the highlight among his massive series of works which have been hailed as national documents.

Turkey is a country with many cultural faces as Europe and Asia, Christianity and Islam intersect and permeate through for many decades. Güler’s ‘Istanbul’ captured anonymous people who lives there: People living in an old street of Istanbul in the country connecting Europe and Asia, and fishermen’s life story who head to Bosphorus that embraces Europe and Asia. His photograph always searches for and looks into human and their pieces of life.


“Nothing matters anymore when love of mankind is lost. A life without human cannot exist. Therefore my pictures always include person, even when I'm taking a picture of Aya Sofia, what counts is the person passing by who stands for life.”

Güler attaches the greatest importance to human presence in his photographs and describes himself as a "visual chronicler". He believes that photography should provide a memory of people, of their lives and especially of their suffering. Every nook and cranny of Istanbul is honestly captured through a view finder of his Leica.

This is the very first show in Korea that introduces the image of Turkey from 1950s to 1970s where the west end of the ancient Silk Road comes to us with deep lyricism and intensity. In total, about 100 prints are carefully selected by the curators, and 40 works of them are the original vintage, selected and framed by Ara Güler himself. It is a very rare chance to see this collection of Ara Museum. The rest are newly printed in gelatin silver prints for Korean audiences. The city, residents and their life in Istanbul, documented by Güler is more delicate and valuable because it is Istanbul, already passed so we cannot encounter any longer.

Ara Güler (*1928)

Ara Güler had contributed photographs to renowned magazines such as Time-Life, Paris Match, Stern and London Sunday Times in the late 1950s. Around the early 1960s, he joined ‘Magnum Photos’ as a photojournalist on the recommendation of Henri Cartier-Bresson(1908-2004).
In the British Journal of Photography Year Book published in UK, Güler was named one of the seven best photographers in the world and he received the ‘Master of Leica’ award in Germany in 1962. As a result, he has have recognition as a worldwide photographer to represent Turkey.

100 pieces of special works about Noah’s Ark among worldwide spotlighted Güler’s immense works, were introduced by ‘Magnum Photos’, and the works of ancient remains such as ‘Nemrut Dağ’ in Adiyaman Province, Turkey and forgotten city ‘Aphrodisias’ are also widely kwon.

The prosperity of ancient civilizations of Turkey, and the forgotten breath and value as the time flows, are reborn by Ara Güler’s photographs.