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- October 12, 202619°
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- October 12, 202619°
Istanbul marks photography’s 200th anniversary with exhibitions and events
Istanbul is hosting exhibitions, talks, film screenings, workshops and artist meetings as part of the 200th anniversary of the invention of photography. The 2026 edition of 212 Photography Istanbul will welcome art enthusiasts at more than 25 venues through October 11.
A comprehensive program of events is being held in Istanbul by the French Institute in Türkiye and 212 Photography Istanbul to mark the 200th anniversary of the invention of photography. Organized as part of the Türkiye Culture Route Festival, the program features exhibitions, talks, film screenings, workshops, artist meetings and special projects.
Prepared with the contributions of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, 212 Photography Istanbul is meeting art enthusiasts at more than 25 venues this year. The program was introduced at İBB Taksim Sanat with the participation of Valentin Rodriguez, director of the French Institute in Türkiye in Istanbul and cultural adviser, and Banu Tuncağ, festival director of 212 Photography Istanbul.
Photography’s transformation and Türkiye-France cooperation
Valentin Rodriguez described photography’s 200-year history as a process of continuous renewal and transformation. Rodriguez said that technical advances ranging from black and white to color and from analogue to digital had changed the way people view the world, adding that photography has become an art form that everyone can access and create today.
The program will also examine photography’s use in memory, family, journalism and art. The events will bring together professionals working in photography in France and Türkiye, while meetings will be organized for students, photographers, publishers and editors.
The program will include collaborations with the École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie in Arles, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, the Ara Güler Museum and 212 Photography Istanbul, as well as various other organizations active in photography. As part of the educational activities, pedagogical materials will be prepared for schools and universities, and efforts will be made to bring students together with exhibitions.
Various events are also planned for the 80th anniversary of the French Institute in Türkiye. The exhibition “Istanbul of the Levantines, the Levantines of Istanbul: Photographing a City’s Memory,” which will open at the institute on October 8, will explore Istanbul’s history through photography.
212 Photography Istanbul’s 2026 program
Held for its ninth edition, 212 Photography Istanbul will continue through October 11 with a special program marking photography’s 200th anniversary. The festival brings together artists from various parts of the world, different curatorial approaches and interdisciplinary events at venues across Istanbul.
The festival’s exhibition program features works by contemporary artists from different generations, alongside works by renowned figures from the photography world. The program includes “Short & Sweet / A Retrospective Look,” presenting a selection from Martin Parr’s more than 50 years of work; “Legacy: A Life as a Photographer and Filmmaker / The Legacy of a Gaze,” featuring Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s work from the 1970s to the present; and Jill Greenberg’s “Monkey Portraits / The Human Mirror.”
Frank Horvat’s “Please Don’t Smile,” Omar Victor Diop’s “Allegoria / Existing Together,” Catherine Nelson’s “Future Memories / A Portrait of a Planet” and David Szauder’s “Triptych: Memory, Doubt, and Fates” will also meet audiences.
The exhibition “On Construction: Brazilian Modernist Photography 1939–1964,” focusing on the visual memory of Brazilian modernist photography, has opened in Istanbul for the first time. “Colours of Scandinavia” brings together recent works by 18 photographers from different generations.
Film screenings and exhibition venues
A talk with Yann Arthus-Bertrand will be held following a screening of his film “Home.” The program will also feature an Andy Warhol documentary, along with other productions focusing on the relationship between photography and cinema.
The festival exhibitions can be visited through October 11 at venues including MSGSÜ Tophane-i Amire Culture and Arts Center, Galata School Foundation Cultural Center, Eski Posta Han, Akaretler No:5, Taksim Sanat, 212 Studio, Saint Benoît Church, Yapı Kredi bomontiada and Abbasağa Park.
In addition to an exhibition bringing together young artists from the École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie in Arles, the French Institute in Türkiye is hosting various other exhibitions and events. The École Nationale Supérieure de la Photographie’s “States of the Body” exhibition features works by Aida Lechurgo, Arina Starykh, Gaspard Labastie, Guillaume Chevalier Fustec, Hugo Jacq, Susanna de Vido, Renato Balla and Lila Niel.
The program will continue through 2027
The French Institute in Türkiye’s program marking photography’s 200th anniversary will focus not only on photography’s artistic dimension but also on its relationship with documentation, publishing, education and cultural heritage. Activities will examine photography’s power to bear witness, tell stories, create and convey, as well as the impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence on image-making.
The program will continue through 2027, bringing institutions, artists, photographers, students and industry professionals from France and Türkiye together through various events.
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