Centered on photographic portraits, the exhibition brings two artists together, separated by a hundred years—Volkan Kızıltunç and August Sander. The subjects of the portraits look directly at the camera, but rather than momentary, one-sided gazes, these are long observations between the photographers and photographed. The gaze is a means of dialogue between two subjects, who acknowledge the other's subjectivity while looking at each other. Where the photographers and their subjects looked at one another, a bond of gaze is now formed between the viewer and the work of art.
In the 1920s, German photographer August Sander began working on his epic project, People of the 20th Century (Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts). For approximately forty years, Sander photographed hundreds of Germans in their mundane environment, whether at work or at home, images which together make up a portrait of Germany. Pioneering artist Volkan Kızıltunç, who works in Istanbul, is deeply influenced by Sander's work, from which he draws inspiration for the structure of his video compositions. Using similar visual means and portraying figures against the backdrop of their natural environment, each of these two artists discusses the encounter between the private and the public, as well as social and class issues.
Production of the artist's book Sonder was made possible through the generous support of SAHA Association, Istanbul.
