As part of the Chamber Talks programme by the Istanbul Research Institute, the talk titled The Cultivated Eye: From Arif Hikmet’s Lens to Architectural Practice brought together M. Baha Tanman and Müjde Dila Gümüş to examine Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu’s photography archive and architectural work, offering new perspectives on the exhibition The Photography Studio of an Adventurous Architect.
Held on 18 December 2025 (Thursday), the session addressed Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu (1893–1982) and his significance within early 20th-century architectural education and practice in Turkey. Through the conditions that turned his education into an adventure and the photographic subjects he chose as he was forming as an architect, the discussion traced the notion of “visual cultivation” (göz terbiyesi) in an early republican architect. Koyunoğlu’s documentation of architectural heritage in cities such as Ankara, Istanbul, Bursa, Nevşehir, and Kırşehir was considered alongside his architectural production, emphasizing the enduring value of his archive for heritage documentation.
During the talk, M. Baha Tanman discussed how Koyunoğlu viewed Ottoman architecture, which structures he selected, and how his documentation practice related to his architectural formation, as reflected in his photographs. Müjde Dila Gümüş focused on Koyunoğlu’s architectural projects, questioning his relationship with the First National Architecture movement and examining his distinctive approach, which did not fully align with its established moulds. Together, the speakers highlighted the tension between Koyunoğlu’s documenting eye and his architectural production, and how these two practices informed one another.
The exhibition The Photography Studio of an Adventurous Architect: Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu 1893-1982 tells the story of Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu, one of the extraordinary figures of the late Ottoman and early Republican periods, through photographs he took starting in the 1900s, especially in the 1920s and 1930s.
The exhibition can be visited free of charge and without an appointment at the Istanbul Research Institute, Monday to Saturday, between 10:00 and 19:00.
Pera Museum is hosting guided tours for Feelings in Common, led by curator Ulya Soley. The Guided Exhibition Tour with Curator will take place at Pera Museum on December 24, 2025 at 18:00 and December 27, 2025 at 15:00. The tour will be conducted in Turkish. Capacity is limited; tickets are available via Biletix or at the Pera Museum reception desk on the day of the event.
At the 9th Major Community Gathering, the Suna’nın Kızları communities came together to review the past year’s outcomes and align on project plans for 2026. Participants explored new ideas and collaboration opportunities on how the model and programs co-developed with 33 civil society organizations over the past four years can further support and reinforce one another.
The Istanbul Research Institute continues to offer free guided tours of the exhibition The Photography Studio of an Adventurous Architect: Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu 1893–1982, which sheds light on the life of one of the most unconventional architects of his time, spanning the late Ottoman and early Republican periods.