ARA GULER: A Play of Light and Shadow

“The power of Ara Güler’s photography lies in the way it creates a unique visual language within the practice of photojournalism, which may not necessarily demand a ‘personal touch’.”

Turkey’s best-known photographer, Ara Güler (1928–2018), depicted daily life in Turkey for three-quarters of a century. Güler captured the rough edges of Istanbul as well as all its splendour. Celebrated as ‘The Eye of Istanbul’, his poignant black-and-white images of his beloved city’s inhabitants, streets and docks remain his most celebrated works. But Ara Güler was far more than that. He created reportage photography all over the world, including in Somalia, Eritrea and Afghanistan. He photographed celebrities such as Alfred Hitchcock, Salvador Dalí, Maria Callas and Sophia Loren. His versatility can also be seen in experimental collages from the early part of his career and in more recent work when he plays with light and colour.