Timurtaş Onan, who is considered as one of the important representatives of contemporary fine art photography, has published his new book ‘Istanbul Timeless’.
The book includes 120 black and white photographs of the artist. ‘Istanbul Timeless’ is the third of Onan’s five-book series dedicated to Istanbul. The first two books are ‘Istanbul Against All Odds’ (2018) and ‘IstanbulCity of Strange and Curious Moments’ (2021) .
Seray Şahiner, who wrote the foreword of the book, interprets the work as follows;
The city, a window pane forging the silhouettes of those treading the puddles dotting its layers and layers of concrete. In Timurtaş Onan’s work, Istanbul Timeless, we see those who recreate the city in their own image – spurning the spotlight, turning a blind eye to the rest of the world and shuffling along with the air of those whose destinations remain unclear – the city’s forgotten. Istanbul takes a lead as a plateau beholden to its co-star on the stage. The supporting characters to the city’s starring role changing with every scene. In these snapshots, of those passing through this vast metropolis, one sees the masterful performance – whether scripted or improvised – of an actor having trained for years with the main star. Scanning the photographs, we see those who have hauled Istanbul’s cinematic glow upon their backs. The subjects depicted in the city, rather than viewing it as on a screen, sport it as a cloak: Each has their own Istanbul, just as the metropolis itself has designs on all who step within.
Istanbul Timeless is actually a collection that cancels out the concept of “later.” Timurtaş Onan makes portraits of those who do not take the trouble to snap their experiences to remember, or look back, from some future time. The viewer is invited to partake in the perspective of one who spurns the touristic, doesn’t even attempt to provide comment and involves himself in his subjects to such a degree that they, themselves, forget his own presence.
Timurtaş Onan
İstanbul Timeless
Hardcover
Pages: 192
Publisher: Art Studio (2022)
ISBN: 978-9944-5746-9-3
Order: shopier.com/11977125