The newly opened Leica Gallery Istanbul will host Alp Sime’s photography exhibition “Ceratonia” from Wednesday 12 October through Saturday 3 December.
From the organizer:
Born in 1970, Istanbul, the artist Alp Sime with his enchanting works is undoubtedly one of the most important figures in contemporary photography. Sime who works on poetic, impressive themes that are not difficult to interpret, offers a sensitive and personal access to the urban space and its dwellers. Evidently, his choices in approaching the human subject are very different from a classical approach to portraiture. At times he exhibits them only partially, while at other times he positions them in a way that their depth is accessible only to the viewer’s own discovery via subjective perception.
In his choice of themes, Alp Sime always succeeds at making us understand that urban coexistence is only temporary, and he does so by appealing to our personal experience for association. He strongly communicates the feelings of loneliness, being lost and melancholy. The photographer pursues the unfamiliar, yet unseen and coincidental, and often the extraordinary. Unlike most photographers of his generation, he has succeeded at creating an expressive language that distinguishes him from the others, i.e. building his own style. Alp Sime is among the masters of his artistic discipline. His themes combine subjectivity and unanimity while carrying in them the society and its daily joys.
His photographs are not explanatory or documentary; to the contrary, they are silent and introverted. In his images, Sime is not interested in objectivity but in storytelling, interrelatedness and sometimes irony. He is not only able to illustrate what the camera focuses on but also the invisible theme he himself initially discovers and interprets. Moreover, he possesses an extraordinarily subtle talent and intuition when it comes to black and white, as well as for the interplay of light and shadow.
As expected nowadays, in addition to his classic, analog Leica camera, he uses the Leica M Monochrom. Thanks to his skillful use of the black and white technique, in his photographs he is able to direct the gaze towards the perfect composition and generate a strong, abstract impact on the viewer. He is able to effortlessly reveal those details we miss within the flow of daily life. This way he pushes the viewer to appreciate the work by making them take a longer look at the photographs, which, solely by itself, is more than what most of today’s photographs have managed to do. As already one of the classics in photography, Sime reminds us of the great possibilities offered by photography: pausing, rediscovering the world and joining, in amazement, life’s sometimes absurd richness.
Karin Rehn-Kaufmann
Chief Representative Leica Galleries International
—
For more information, check out the official exhibition page.
Tuesday – Sunday: 11:00 – 19:00
leica@dogusgrubu.com.tr
Image by Alp Sime (source)
Bomontiada: Tarihi Bomonti Bira Fabrikası, Birahane Sok., No:1/C – Bomonti, Sisli 34380
[geo_mashup_map]
