Istanbul Modern‘s Photography Gallery is hosting Ozan Sağdıç, one of the most significant figures in the field of photography in Türkiye.
Sponsored by Burgan Bank, the exhibition “Ozan Sağdıç: The Photographer’s Testimony” features a broad selection of the artist’s work from the 1950s onwards. The exhibition will be on display until Oct. 20.
The exhibition showcases a wide selection of the artist’s work since the 1950s, focusing on documentary photography, one of the most widespread genres of photography worldwide. The exhibition aims to shed light on Türkiye’s social, political, economic, cultural and visual history.
Ozan Sağdıç, who played a significant role in shaping Türkiye’s visual archive over his 70-year career, captures the juxtaposition of change and stagnation through his work conducted primarily in Istanbul and Ankara, as well as across the country. The diversity of his subjects and his ironic observation of human experiences make Sağdıç a witness to Türkiye’s evolving world since the 1950s.
Curated by Istanbul Modern’s photography curator and department head Demet Yıldız Dinçer, along with photographer and writer Merih Akoğul, the exhibition features Dr. Ruhi Oğuz Sağdıç as a consultant. “The Photographer’s Testimony” presents black-and-white and color photographs depicting various aspects of life, including portraits of influential politicians, artists and literary figures, as well as everyday scenes of workers, leisure activities, travelers and children, reflecting the streets filled with ordinary people during different periods of change.
Prints from darkroom
The exhibition includes 127 photographs, including prints from Ozan Sağdıç’s darkroom. The techniques and era in which the photographs were produced are illustrated through vintage prints and examples from Hayat magazine. Sağdıç, one of the foremost representatives of photojournalism, which began to flourish globally and in Türkiye during his early years in photography, also showcases the versatility of his work through the exhibition “The Photographer’s Testimony.”
Photographic, visual journey
Oya Eczacıbaşı, chair of the board of directors of Istanbul Modern, highlights the museum’s role in bringing together the development and transformation of photography in Türkiye and worldwide, sometimes through the lenses of masters and sometimes through those of young artists.
“Following prominent figures in Turkish photography such as Şahin Kaygun, Gökşin Sipahioğlu, Yıldız Moran, Ara Güler, Lütfi Özkök and Şakir Eczacıbaşı, we are now hosting a selection of works spanning 70 years by another master. Ozan Sağdıç’s exhibition ‘The Photographer’s Testimony’ showcases moments witnessing different periods of our republic, which celebrated its 100th anniversary,” she explained.
Demet Yıldız Dinçer, one of the curators of the exhibition, emphasized that a comprehensive selection was made from Ozan Sağdıç’s archive containing hundreds of thousands of photographs.
“The exhibition not only presents a wide perspective of the artist’s work but also reveals many layers of his archive waiting to be explored. Rather than a narrative filled with nostalgia, the selection in the exhibition reminds viewers that there are many interpretations of Sağdıç’s body of work, encompassing various aspects of the past. We express our gratitude to Ozan Sağdıç for his meticulous support in preparing the exhibition,” she said.
Merih Akoğul, one of the exhibition curators, stated that Ozan Sağdıç had no intervention in the flowing life other than taking photographs.
“Therefore, those who look at his photographs immediately see the detail Sağdıç wants to emphasize. Ozan Sağdıç works his thoughts and witnesses like poetry in his photographs. The moments he captures in the natural flow of life resonate intimately with the viewer. This uniqueness makes Sağdıç’s photographs exceptional,” he explained.
Artist’s portrait
Ozan Sağdıç was born in the Pelitköy neighborhood of Balıkesir province’s Burhaniye district in 1934. He attended high school as a boarding student at Kabataş High School in Istanbul, got his first box camera during the summer of 1953 and started taking various images of Istanbul. The infamous incident of 1954 when the Bosporus was covered with ice was his first pivotal experience with photography.
Sağdıç worked as an assistant projectionist at the Lale Cinema in his hometown, Edremit, and worked as a page editor at the Edremit newspaper published by his brother. He returned to Istanbul in 1955 and got a job at Foto Sait, the first photography studio to which he applied. One evening, Mr. Sait brought him to the board of directors of the Istanbul Public Photographers Association and helped him to become the secretary of the association. Through this position, he got to know all the photographers working in the sector in Istanbul. He learned all the subtleties of portrait photography with the observation and volunteer assistance he participated in at the studio of Şevket Tanju, the president of the association. He photographed the beautiful corners of Istanbul with a Rolleiflex camera he borrowed.
Sağdıç attracted the attention of the team that began publishing the weekly Hayat magazine in 1956 and as soon as the magazine started publication, he became one of its first two photojournalists together with Ara Güler and worked in the Istanbul staff of Hayat until 1960. In 1960, he was appointed to the Ankara bureau of Hayat, which opened that year.
Sağdıç continued his journalism and photography career in Ankara from that point forward. He also started taking stage photographs of the State Theaters in Ankara. He took part in the printed publications of this institution and made the first theater posters with graphic concerns. Meanwhile, he produced examples of book and publication covers in line with the contemporary graphic approach. He made great contributions to the archives and promotional publications of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.
A photograph he sent to The British Journal of Photography in 1968 was published as “Photo of the Year.” Sağdıç, who has held approximately 50 personal exhibitions in Türkiye and abroad to date, has attracted special attention with his music-synchronized slide shows that he has presented at various times. He gave lectures on the art of photography at Ankara University’s Faculty of Communication and Hacettepe University’s Fine Arts Faculty when these programs were established.
For his contributions to Turkish photography, he was elected as an honorary member by the Ankara Photography Artists Association (AFSAD) and the Bursa Photograph Art Association (BUFSAD) and was among the founding members of the Photographic Art Society (FSK). In addition to being a Member of the UNESCO National Commission Culture Committee and the Art Advisory Board of the Ministry of Culture during various periods, Sağdıç served as an art consultant for many organizations such as the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE), the Turkish Culture Foundation and the Turkiye Development Foundation (TKV). In addition to the “State Artist” title he received in 1998, he is the owner of many awards such as the Art Institution Award in 1985, the 2014 Aydın Doğan Award, the 2020–2021 Photographic Arts Association of Türkiye (TFSF) Artist of the Year and the 2023 Contemporary Arts Foundation (ÇAĞSAV) Art Award.
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