On October 21, 2025, students from the Department of Radio, Television, and Cinema visited two significant photography exhibitions as part of the Basic Photography course. The event was conducted under the guidance of Dr. Güler Canbulat.

The first stop was the Ara Güler Museum. Ara Güler, a doyen of Turkish photography, is not only a pioneering figure in photographic art but also globally recognized for his contributions to documentary storytelling. The museum sheds light on Turkey’s visual memory by housing the artist’s lifelong photographic works, archives, and personal belongings. Here, students explored Robert Capa’s exhibition “The Truth is the Best Picture,” gaining insight into the human dimension of war photography and the testimonial power of images. Through Capa’s bold frames, they discussed the boundaries between ethics, truth, and aesthetics in photojournalism.

The second stop was Erwin Olaf’s exhibition “A Suspended Tomorrow,” organized as part of 212 Photography Istanbul. This international platform annually hosts photography and visual arts events that bring various aspects of contemporary photography to the audience. Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf is known for his aesthetically staged works that question concepts such as gender, identity, and time. In this exhibition, students had the opportunity to experience Olaf’s approach to photography—distanced from pure reality yet preserving emotional and intellectual depth.

This activity enabled students to develop a comparative perspective between the witnessing gaze of photojournalism and the conceptual and interpretive language of contemporary photography. As Istanbul Gelişim University, we will continue to organize events that support our students’ artistic and intellectual growth in line with our practice-oriented and high-quality education approach.