PhotoMed’ selected Turkey as its special guest for this first edition of the festival. Sharing both Asian and European borders, this country can be discovered and rediscovered throughout the festival exhibitions.
In Michel Pacha’s Footsteps
Michel Pacha, an engineer and businessman from Sanary-sur-Mer, became an honorary citizen of Turkey in recognition of his coastal work in this vast and fragile region. With historical pictures alongside contemporary shots, spectators are introduced to the collections of Pierre Gigord with pictures signed by James Robertson, the brothers Abdullah, Alexander Svoboda, Sebah & Joaillier and Guillaume Berggren. The contemporary works are represented by Ali Taptik, a Turkish photographer, through his autobiographical series.
Istanbul, My Love
Two different visions of Istanbul by Ara Güler and Bruno Barbey. Ara Güler, of Armenian descent, is known as the “eye of Istanbul”: He has been documenting his country and its capital city of Istanbul since the 1950’s. In 1999, he received the Turkish honor “photographer of the century”. The saturated colorful pictures of French photographer Bruno Barbey, born in Morocco, contrast with his friend Güler’s black and white vision.
Young Turkish Photography
The exhibition gathers 11 young Turkish artists and presents them in an original context. Their pictures provide spectators with the vision of a generation living in a multicultural, multiethnic, multireligious country.
