Gültekin ÇİZGEN

Turkish novelist, screenwriter, short story writer and activist Yaşar Kemal

I have an interesting relationship with Yaşar Kemal, who’s a part of the structure that makes up our republican culture and the first Turkish writer to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. I met Yaşar Kemal in the 1960s when I was very young, at a time when my black and white photographs were being highly admired by the art scene. The great master followed not only the literary circles, but also all the artistic events of our country.

We met when he worked for the Cumhuriyet newspaper–between 1951 and 1963–as an anecdotal and interview writer. The day we met, Yaşar Kemal said in his booming, theatrical voice, “So you are Gültekin Çizgen. Hello!”

Everybody, including the people engaged in art, know very well how this impoverished boy from Çukurova took his first steps in literature, and what he achieved.

For me, Yaşar Kemal means “İnce Memed.” The author was introduced to the world with this work by the internationally celebrated French Publishing House, Gallimard.

In the novel, the author relates how İnce Memed, who supports the poor people of Çukurova against the landowners, fights for his people. The four-volume novel took thirty nine years to complete.

I had the chance to spend time with the esteemed Yaşar Kemal, not only now and again but in many interesting settings and events, which means that I was also witness to his family life. His late wife Thilda Serrero was the daughter of the General Manager of Ottoman Bank, while Gallimard Publishing was owned by his brother.

She was an extremely well-equipped, sophisticated and unique woman who could speak many foreign languages, and she suited Yaşar Kemal very well.

I had the opportunity for in-depth conversations about art and photography during our meetings in those years.

I am also familiar with Ayşe Semiha Baban, the famous political and cultural family of the Republic, whom he married after Thilda Serrero’s death. We met when I was working as a full-time professional photographer at a promotional photograph exhibition project organized to celebrate the 500th Year of Medical Training at the University of Istanbul, which was established by Mehmed II, Conqueror of Istanbul. As the university rector’s research secretary, she was involved in the entire exhibition process from beginning to end. I had many interesting experiences while preparing for this exhibition. At the time, due to political events, all the walls of the university were covered in slogans. The administration did not want the congress’ overseas participants to see this, and in those days it was not possible to photoshop the photographs. The only solution was to take photos of the university from above. But then we faced another challenge: back then there were no civil helicopters. So the only solution was to ask for help from the late Alaattin Pasha, who happened to love photography. This senior General of the General Staff came up with a way out. They found a small plane and hired its crazy pilot from the Turkish Aeronautical Association. We did the undoable, passed under the newly-built Istanbul Bosporus Bridge, completed the city tour and landed in Yeşilköy.

I remember Yaşar Kemal patting me on the shoulder and saying “Lunatic!” when I told him about this story.

A highly intelligent, elegant lady, who had great admiration for Yaşar Kemal, it was Ayşe Semiha Baban who shared the great author’s life during his final years.

The portrait of Yaşar Kemal is an example of an image created using natural light. A daily pose for the great writer, black and white, transversely framed on a neutral background. The soft light on Yaşar Kemal’s face is coming from center-right, a perspective that is addressed in an ordinary rhythm. A significant memory for me.

This portrait was also used in my retrospective exhibition at the Istanbul Photography Museum, of which I am the Founding Curator and in the “Anbean” album that was published in association with the event.

This text was written for Fotoğraf Dergisi (Journal of Photography).

ALBUM

Photograph enthusiast Kadir Ekinci from Kars has a new photo album. In the credits, it reads “the black and white photographs in this album were taken between 2006 and 2016 in Selim District Marketplace, in Kars, using negative films and digital cameras.”

One thousand copies of the album were published in July 2018, all of which were assigned a number. The album’s written content is by Kemal Cengizkan, İbrahim Göğer, Merih Akoğul and Prof.  Dr. Turgut Kırmızı Bayrak and translated into English by Anıl Ayhan. The graphic design and application is by İbrahim Göğer. This 30×30 cm, black and white album was meticulously printed by Ankara Kuban Printing and Publishing.

WHO IS HE?

In the credentials section at the beginning of the album, it reads: A. Kadir Ekinci was born in Kars in 1954. He graduated from Ankara Gazi Training Institute. He is currently working at a public institution. As a member of the Ankara Photography Artists’ Association (Afsad) since 1992, Ekinci has served on the board of directors and the advisory board. He has taken part in many projects organized by Afsad, including the project Faiths in Southeastern Anatolia, which was organized as part of the GAP (Southeastern Anatolia Project). His solo exhibitions, Silent Light and Distant Light, have been shown in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and Cyprus. His black and white album, Silent and Distant Light, was launched in 2010. His photographs have also been exhibited in many competitions both in Turkey and abroad.

Believing in the power of light since the day he started photography, in this exhibition Ekinci is returning once again to his hometown of Kars. Before moving to its new location, the animal market, one of the most important commercial centers in Kars, which is also a part of everyday life in the city, is reflected in the nostalgia-filled photographs. By taking pictures of the animals—the residents of the marketplace—together with people of all ages, and the order in the chaos, Ekinci witnesses his own social culture, using the discourse and performance of photography.

Kadir Ekinci proceeds on his way, documenting the marketplace of Kars together with its lights and memories, with the expectation of sharing the cultural heritage of this ancient region with future generations.

MARKETPLACE

In the album, the Marketplace of Kars is introduced as the marketplace, which was once on the site that currently hosts the Governor’s office, moved to its current location in 1965. It is located in the east of the city, 4-5 km away from the center. It is an open area of ​​approximately 15-20 decares,  which is surrounded by stone walls. In the east there is a warehouse where hay and straw are sold, and in the west there is the Hz. Ömer Mosque, while in the north there is the Karadağ Bastion, and in the south the Kars – Ardahan highway.   

The marketplace has two sections with two different gates, for cattle, sheep and goats, one for entering and the other for exiting. In the marketplace, where the personnel of the Kars Municipality and Kars Commodity Exchange Market work, there is a large weighing scales for the animals, as well as a barn. On the right, there is an old, single-storey building, which houses several tea shops and a coffee house that is heated with a stove during the winter months.

In the only animal market in Turkey that opens five days a week, the day starts very early, at dawn.

Cattle, including simmental, simmental hybrid, brown Swiss, native black cattle and Zavot, as well as their hybrids, are brought to the market along with sheep and goats. In Kars, where there are 450,000 cattle and 550,000 sheep and goats, the marketplace is one of the most vibrant and lively trade centers of the region, adding value to the economy. 

PHOTOGRAPHS AND PHOTO-BIBLIOGRAPHY

What does A.  Kadir Ekinci tell us with his black and white photo album of the Marketplace, and how does he tell his story? As we turn the album’s pages, we can see a fluent narrative and a natural beauty. That is because it tells a fundamental truth. Kadir Ekinci is telling us a story from his hometown of Kars. He tells us about what he knows, and has experienced. Growing up as a young boy in Kars, he is able to awake certain emotions and exhibit strong and loaded expressions, which are easy for him as he is speaking the truth. And of course this suits him rather well.

The album starts with an impressive scene, a panoramic photo of a shepherd and his herd of cattle, emerging from the cloud of dust they created as they come to the marketplace. The visual feast continues with perfectly-formed expressions in a tonal range of black and white, varying from light to dark.

Traces of İbrahim Göğer’s mastery of design can be seen while turning the pages. The traffic chaos the herd creates as it snows, which occupies the whole street, is illustrated across two pages. In the pages that follow, the visual story continues with more general photos of the cattle in the marketplace. Of course, is not possible for all the photos in an album to have the same strong impact . It is similar to each musical note having a different tone, but they end up becoming a complete and harmonious composition. Some photographs stand out naturally, both for their style and essence. In one of the first pages, there is yet another photograph that is a joy to behold and rightly given a two-page spread; a snowy scene, enhanced by clouds of steamy breath coming from the mouths of the animals and people.

As a person who understands “photographic atmosphere” and what makes a photograph, Kadir Ekinci’s album contains a selection of outstanding images, almost as if it were a photography textbook. The foggy atmosphere that appears when the heat meets the cold, the images veiled by falling snowflakes, together with the groups of animals and humans reflected in the puddles, illustrate the subtleties of the pictorial language Kadir Ekinci uses in his photos. Then the big story of the bargaining unfolds. The main image illustrates the animal market itself, then there are the age checks, made by looking at the animals’ teeth; the arguments, the handshakes announcing the conclusion of a bargain. All of these details are told robustly and convincingly.

In his photographs, Kadir Ekinci focuses more on the winter atmosphere in the marketplace, as he knows this is how you tell a pure yet powerful story. Of course, the photos in the album are not only of animals, Kadir Ekinci did not forget the context of the story. Snapshots of roasted meat sellers, shop windows displaying food with their advertisements for “eggs with sausages” and “soft beverages,” animal traders with crooks in hand, trying to warm up by the coffee shop stoves. These are all images of a refined photo story.

Details of cows’ eyes decorate the album cover. Tags attached to the ears of the animals; cattle fighting or trying to ride on each other; calves trying to suck their mother’s milk. All are brilliant illustrations of how to create a story in photos.

The album concludes with a miniature-style photo of animals that could not be sold, showing them as part of the snowy landscape. You’ve done a great job Kadir Ekinci, may God bless your hands, eyes, and mind.

CONCLUSION

Let us recall a phrase that was used a lot in the past, but is now forgotten: “humans exist with their production and relations.” Let’s do this for young photographers,  because they want their photographs to shine, like those of the masters. But first they need to ask “What did they do” and “How did they succeed?”

Why should they be curious about this? The basic theory is “work, work, work”. Yes, the unchanging theory is this, but now there are other things to consider. That’s because we now live in a post-modern era dominated by a low and popular culture. There are watered-down photos everywhere, each brimming with unabashed monotony. It is as if there were intense visual pollution.  How can we distinguish between an nondescript image and a photograph that truly represents the art of photography? How do we know when a photograph is merely an image and when it is a piece of art? To do this, one needs to know about the fund of knowledge and aesthetics that lie behind that photograph,  and understand that art is created by artists. The essence of the idea is that the art of photography requires solemnity and knowledge.

Only those who are aware of this can become artists and create unique works. We should respect the efforts of A. Kadir Ekinci.

Gültekin Çizgen

Artist, Art Writer, 2010 İstanbul – European Capital of Culture Photo Curator, İstanbul Photography Museum Founding Curator, Photo İstanbul, 1^st  Beşiktaş International Photography Festival Art Director