The often overlooked chimneys of urban structures gain visibility through photography in Eren İnönü’s exhibition titled Invisible Monuments. The exhibition can be seen at Galeri Işık Teşvikiye until November 1.
“While everything is being demolished, why do chimneys remain standing?” Starting from this unanswered question, Eren İnönü photographs chimneys as the invisible monuments of the city. Rising with the ideals of modernization and development, these chimneys—no longer emitting smoke—continue to exist like respiration organs through the artist’s lens. On view until November 1 at Galeri Işık Teşvikiye, Invisible Monuments brings visibility to these often unnoticed elements of the urban landscape through 26 photographs. The chimneys appear in the frames both as structures that have survived and yet are fated to destruction.
Can chimneys be reinterpreted through an artistic gaze?
Although chimneys stand constantly within the city’s skyline, they are usually passed by without being noticed. Forgotten in the flow of everyday life, they become invisible like a sculpture we walk past every day without realizing it. İnönü’s photographs restore visibility to these overlooked structures; visitors entering the exhibition space in Teşvikiye experience how chimneys—seemingly plain and silent—transform into monuments.
With the 26 photographs on display, İnönü reminds us that these structures also act as silent witnesses, reflecting the past and playing a crucial role in our understanding of the present. Whether decommissioned or still quietly operating, chimneys build a bridge between past and present while prompting questions about the future.
The artist states, “I observed the way chimneys stand on their own—usually upright and as if defying history,” expressing how he sees them not as ordinary architectural elements but as carriers of ideas such as change, progress, architectural concerns, and environmental awareness. He also raises this question: “If they have not been demolished yet, are chimneys perceived as art objects? And if so, can we be sure they won’t fall out of favor and be torn down tomorrow?”
İnönü’s approach draws inspiration from Bernd and Hilla Becher’s typologies of industrial structures; yet he transforms their objective gaze into a more personal and aesthetic perspective. The black-and-white photographs feature chimneys from various parts of the world, referencing the visual heritage of the modern industrial age while also documenting the gradual dissolution of this legacy.
An immersive spatial experience
The exhibition is not limited to photographic works. The spatial design was conceived by architect and artist Büşra Tunç. The shell-like structure placed at the center of the space physically draws the viewer into the exhibition. Evoking the sensation of being inside a chimney, the installation offers a bodily experience that goes beyond the visual. The screens positioned just in front of the structure and at the end of the exhibition extend this “breathing space” from inside the venue outward into the street through moving images.
Invisible Monuments surrounds the viewer both physically and intellectually through chimneys that assert a silent yet determined presence amid the city’s noise. The rhythm that permeates the exhibition reveals how the concept of the monument evolves according to social contexts, while also providing the viewer with a space to question the changing face of the city.
