Faces and Places from Turkey, an Exhibit
The Faces and Places from Turkey exhibit took place in the exhibit space of Lifespan between the two major hospitals in Rhode Island. The following explanatory text accompanied the photographs. This is a newer version of an earlier exhibit in 2004, On Seeing.
I have selected these photographs for an exhibit in Rhode Island. They show faces and places from Turkey that tourists may not experience. I organized them in groups of three to reflect the character of a few locations, Adana, Cappadocia, Istanbul, Ayvalik, Tire, Sirince, and Safranbolu.
Adana is a city in southern Turkey famous for growing cotton and citrus and textile manufacturing.
Cappadocia lies north of the Taurus Mountains. It attracts many tourists who are treated to a magical vista with many shapes of rock formations known as “fairy chimneys.”
Istanbul is the best-known city in Turkey with its rich history, art, and architecture. The photographs I chose from Istanbul are purposely not the typical, iconic images of the city with minarets.
Ayvalik is a small town on the Aegean coast of Turkey famous for its olive oil groves and high-quality olive oil produced from them.
A little to the south of Ayvalik, about a four-hour drive, is the town of Tire. The villages around Tire gather for a very large market every Tuesday where one can find both the expected and unexpected things for sale.
On the way to Tire, a small detour brings the visitors to a hidden gem, Sirince, which roughly means “charming” and it lives up to its name.
Safranbolu is in the Black Sea region of Turkey and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It displays the architecture of the Ottoman period like a well-preserved time capsule.