Issue #22

A conversation with documentary photographer Korhan Karaoysal on his FUAM awarded book “Reason Purpose” and his art practice in general.

Laszlo Moholy Nagy said: “The enemy of photography is convention, the fixed rules of ‘how to do’. The salvation of photography comes from experiment.”

“Lost” is Evren Özesen’s work on people, places, feelings and time he has lost or thinks she has.

Today, I woke up for the second time in 48 days not remembering my dream. The piled up energy caused by my unability to transfer the images to my memory has made today suitable for installing the imaginary exhibition and creating ghostly images I had in mind. With the belief that the nonexistence of this exhibition that had been planned but unrealized conceives more than its existence, I began writing this essay with the support I received from the group UZ.

Dear Görkem, It’s been a looooong time since we see each other. The last time we met was at the end of December 2015 in beloved Gözde Türkkan’s exhibition. I hope you are fine, and in good spirits.

We live in the beginning of the 21st century, and I will go out to Istiklal with 3 friends from the university. Because when we were in the department a couple of days ago, we agreed on a conversation on photography. We never openly make an appointment. I still remember as if it was yesterday, all of us had this vague demeanor. It was as if we are some escapees of the communist party whispering furtively in remote corners.

I am struggling to form a couple of sentences that have some purpose for days on end. When the subject in question is John Berger, one feels like one is lost inside some enormous jungle. Actually, what bothers me is not getting lost in this jungle; but rather facing the fact that when someone like him is gone, everyone feels the need to write like they have the obligation to say something as if in some unvoiced agreement.

There is a song that I like since my childhood - Barış Manço’s song “Sakız Hanım ile Mahur Bey (Mrs Sakız and Mr Mahur)”. Back then, the characters didn’t evoke any association in me, but only the story and melody used to leave me with a sweet blues.

Tanmay Chowdhary’s work “Are You There?” which he realized in the Death Valley and Salton Sea tells a story of a lost girl who has lived in an unknown time. Focusing on senses rather than documents, the work intensifies this impression via notes and music.

Fili Olsefski describes her project “Things Correlate” as: “a small token used in transparently correlating parallel universes, with the latter being overstuffed with floating memorabilia.”

“Peaceful Death” is Sırma Aksüyek’s fictional work on death.