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ISTANBUL: Turkey has long provided fertile ground for storytellers. In the case of 16 Magnum photographers whose works collectively document a nation in flux during the last six decades, the stories have touched on the themes of progress, war, exile and even seedy sex.
"Turkey by Magnum," which runs through May 20 at the Istanbul Modern art museum, is, with 200 pictures, the largest photography exhibition ever held in Turkey. (It also is one event marking the 60th anniversary of the photography cooperative.)
The pictures cover decades of turmoil for the relatively young republic, which today is caught up in the debate over whether it should join the European Union. The exhibition also documents an evolution in the philosophy of photography.
In the 1940s, the masters who founded Magnum, including Robert Capa, wanted to capture what they termed a "decisive moment" on film. With Turkey interested in showing that it was a rapidly Westernizing country, Capa took pictures of modern ports and construction sights during that era.
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