The exhibition “Baktığı Yerde Başka Bir Dünya” (Another World Where He Looks) by 90-year-old master photographer Feruz Ertürer has recently opened at Bulgur Palas in Istanbul.
Organized by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Culture and İBB Heritage and curated by Murat Gür, the show presents a selection from Ertürer’s photographic journey spanning more than 75 years.
Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency about his artistic life and the new exhibition, Ertürer said the idea emerged when his daughter, Gülden Yılmaz, wanted to “bring to light” works from the family archive. He added that they also prepared a commemorative book from the archive, again at his daughter’s suggestion, and then organized the exhibition together with curator Murat Gür. His niece, Filiz Ertürer, also supported the organization.
Ertürer said he comes from a family of photographers, noting that his father was also a photographer and that he has always been proud of him. “Even if it was just an ID photo, he would take it with great care,” he said. Later, his brother Mümtaz continued the family profession, and in Adapazarı, they founded two photography groups named “Grup 5” and “Grup 2,” which included Professor Barbaros Gülser and his close friend İbrahim Zaman.
Describing photography as an art form, Ertürer said the most important element of a photograph is the moment itself. “There is no photograph I would refuse to take. What matters is that the moment tells you something. When you capture that moment, you leave it to history,” he said.
Before becoming a photographer, Ertürer worked as a technical painter after graduating from an art school. He said he always aimed to do his job well, but sometimes even a randomly captured image could be a good photograph if it truly reflected the moment.
Recalling a milestone in his career, he said he won first prize in Türkiye in a competition organized by Hayat magazine. The award-winning photograph, a still life of cracked soil, was later lost in earthquakes in Adapazarı, but he tracked down copies of the issue at the Press Museum and re-archived them.
Expressing his excitement about the exhibition, Ertürer said seeing photographs taken 70 years ago brought back to light filled him with emotion. He noted that today almost everyone carries high-quality cameras in their phones and can take strong photographs without professional equipment. “If you can capture the moment, you fix it in time and leave it to history. That is what matters,” he said.
Reflecting on digitalization, Ertürer said he grew up with photography, recalling the darkroom in his family home where he learned the craft. While he acknowledges the possibilities of the digital era — including editing and transforming images — he noted that in the manual era, unwanted elements had to be removed directly during the shooting process. “I produced my works under those conditions,” he said.
