Newly opened The OG Gallery is showcasing the artworks of Eren Göktürk. Göktürk’s debut solo exhibition, titled “Pictures,” features thirteen large-scale cinematographic photographs selected from six years of work. The exhibition references environmental awareness, urbanism, philosophy, cinema, the history of photography, and literature. Each picture is created with meticulous attention to detail, akin to a painter working on a canvas. It’s interesting to note that a century after the term “pictures” was first coined, the average person now consumes thousands of images daily. However, what’s more concerning is the depth and breadth of this consumption.
Göktürk’s Pictures have emerged in greater Istanbul but their manifold references are more global than ever. Consumption culture reached its ultimate height with the turn of the millennia. The paper cup has become the emblem of a fast life, fibre internet cables are part of the city landscape and at this speed, one picture is worth a million words. In each of his deliberately mise-en-scene compositions, hand placed items cast in light and hidden in shadows give dramatic life to Göktürk’s words, tales of a million words at a time.
The central theme that Göktürk addresses is the struggle between chaos and order. In “Two Monkeys in the Kitchen,” named after the chaotic imaginary primate agents in the scene, the artwork revolves around the deliberate destruction of a peaceful kitchen setting. Emphasizing the staged nature of the scene, the set lights are not concealed, and the presence of the artist is evident through the delicate china left on the counter. This destruction and its various elements are the deliberate result of a thoughtfully planned vision.
In Göktürk’s vast, picturesque world-building, nothing is coincidental. Every shelf, curbside, branch and grassland serves as the backdrop of a not-so-hidden easter egg. The world is changing, fast and often without our meaningful input; Pictures is where Göktürk holds his ground and declares unwavering intentionality. The photographs capture the will, and with it, a million words.
