‘Hidden Face’ by Şahin Kaygun

Starting Sept. 10, Elipsis Gallery presents “Hidden Face,” a solo show of Şahin Kaygun. One of the forerunners of contemporary photography in Turkey, Sahin Kaygun will be on show in Istanbul for the first time in over 20 years.

The exhibition lays out the cartography of different techniques Kaygun has used in his various works. He particularly experiments with the instant Polaroid, physically modifying the photograph by scratching, painting, and even by changing the chemical structure and manipulating the emulsions. While he questions the approach towards the widely accepted techniques, Kaygun also reveals a clear indication of his views toward the social and political situation of the present time.

Kaygun’s works during the 1980s seem to all have the common theme of a “Hidden Face.” Previously known for his portraits, he started hiding the faces of his models in his works in that decade. Exceptions, flaws, imperfections and absences clearly reoccur in all his works. He also puts his experimental artistry into his figurative works, carving the faces, covering them with drapes, sometimes blurring or even cutting them out of the frame. As we investigate further we somehow get lost in these hidden figures. It is not known whether Kaygun’s choices are deliberate, or triggered by the subconscious.