"Istanbul - Our new capital of Europe?" by Nikolai Yudin September 2011
1st to 30th September 2011
If there is any city that deserves the cliche description of the City of Contrasts - its Istanbul; modern and ancient; east and west; Christian and Muslim; Asia and Europe. But although his photography does show this contrast, Nikolai Yudin has aimed higher in the pursuit of its representation, deliberately avoiding an over told story, aiming his lens at the culture within instead. Images with sky piercing ancient minarets juxtaposed with sky scraping modern towers ; ancient Christian Byzantine churches morphed into modern Muslim Mosques do feature in this inspiring collection of photographs, but he also includes a wonderful range of images of day to day life away from the veneer of tourism. Conversations at the cafe come alive ; a man with a death wish riding at the front of a tram, and a striking image of a woman’s red scarf are all full of the symbolism and suggestions that the ever changing culture of Istanbul represents. All this at the heart of the current topic of discussion - Turkey’s role within Europe. What shape will she take in the new Europe? How much influence will she have ? How will she effect the Euro (if it still exists) and how will the massive population will slant the previous ‘european’ profile.
Featuring 1 artistNklolai Yudin (2011)
