Summary of the Opening of the SpacePol Photographic Exhibition at the Institut Français d’Ankara 

Last 4th of Ocotber our SpacePol project with the support of the Institut Français d’Ankara opened the photographic exhibition titled “Ankara: Artisans in the Changing City”. The opening was a resounding success. Not only was the attendance great, but we also had the presence and participation of some of the artisans portrayed in the photographs! Thanks to Gülçin Erdi and Vincent Delcourt for putting together such a great exhibtion, thanks to the always supportive team at the Institut Français d’Ankara, thanks to those who came along to share this moment with us and special thanks to all the artisans that participated!

“100 years after its proclamation as the capital of the young Republic of Turkey, Ankara has become a vast metropolis with nearly 6 million inhabitants, while it had only 27,000 in 1923. Starting from the citadel and the surrounding neighborhoods, the city expanded, and modern districts emerged. Turkey’s first skyscraper was built in Ankara. Throughout the 2000s, shopping centers for all tastes and budgets multiplied in the city. Habits, social circles, professions, and the pace of daily life transformed and evolved.

In April 2023, we studied these developments as part of the conference “Being or Becoming a Capital in 100 Years: Ankara” within the framework of the international research program SPACEPOL coordinated by the French Institute of Anatolian Studies. This exhibition is a photographic and embodied continuation of that research.

Commercial and artisanal life is no longer what it was at the beginning of the century. Prominent professions have disappeared, others have persisted, and some remain confined to the historic quarter, which also strives to endure in the face of rapid urbanization and urban transformation.

The portraits and the daily work of the photographed artisans were born out of the desire to provide a spectrum of everyday life in Ankara. Ankara is not only the capital of the Turkish Republic; it is also the sum of the experiences lived by its residents. With this exhibition, we wanted to pay tribute to some of them, often less visible but indispensable to daily life: welcome to the artisans of Ankara!”

You have until the 26th of November to catch the exhibition for free at the Institut Français d’Ankara. Don’t miss it!

Please read the summary in French below:

You can check other work by the talented photographer Vincent Delcourt here.

---

---