Ara Güler: A Play of Light and Shadow

Beautiful monograph on photographer Ara Guler, aka 'The Eye of Istanbul'.

Being a testament to Turkey's rich history, A Play of Light and Shadow offers a contemporary view of Guler's work while also providing the opportunity to explore iconic and unknown parts of it.

With text contributions by art historian Kim Knoppers, curator and head of photography department at Istanbul Modern, Demet Yildiz Dincer, photographer and filmmaker Ahmet Polat, and Claartje van Dijk, curator and head of exhibitions at Foam in Amsterdam.

Publication on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name in Foam, Amsterdam, from 22 June until 8 November 2023.

About the Author

Born on 16th August 1928, Ara Guler is a Turkish photojournalist, also known as Istanbul's Eye. His father owned a pharmacy, but had many friends that belonged to the world of art. Ara came into contact with these people and they inspired him to opt for a career in films/cinema. He worked in film studios and joined courses of drama under Muhsin Ertugrul. Later, he leaned towards journalism and abandoned cinema. In 1950 he joined Yeni Istanbul, a Turkish newspaper, as a photojournalist. During the same time, he studied economics from University of Istanbul. Then he started working for Hurriyet.

In 1958 when Time-Life, an American publication opened its Turkey branch, Ara Guler became its initial correspondent. Soon enough he started to get commissioned by other international magazines, such as Stern, Paris Match, and Sunday Times, London. In 1961, he was hired by Hayat magazine as the chief photographer.

In this time, he met Marc Riboud and Henri Cartier-Bresson, who recruited him to join Magnum Photos. Ara was presented in 1961 British Photography Yearbook. In the same year, the American Society of Magazine Photographers made him the first Turkish photographer to become the member of this organization.

In 1960s, Ara's work was used in books by notable authors as a means of illustration and were shown at different exhibitions around the world. In 1968, his work was displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in a show called, Ten Masters of Color Photography. Moreover, his photographs were also shown in Cologne's fair, Photokina in Germany. Two years later, Turkei, his photography album was published. His images related to art and its history were featured in magazines, like Horizon, Life, Time, and Newsweek.