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Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Turkish, b. 1964

Koray Erkaya, born in Turkey in 1964, is a photographer and author based in Toronto, Canada. He began his career working as a fashion and advertising photographer for magazines, advertising agencies and clients. In May 2010, he was invited as an honored guest to take part in a photo exhibition in the “Festival Européen de la photo de Nu” with the Don’t Tell Mamma series. After 2010, Erkaya became more interested in fine art photography and started to work on themed projects that he creates through nude photography. After the silent and peaceful protest in Istanbul Gezi Park in 2013, he prepared the photography exhibition “Invacuo” emphasizing the heavy use of tear gas on innocent protestors. The book with the same name was published in the same year. Erkaya has opened 7 solo and 34 combined exhibitions worldwide. Among his well-known series are, Don’t Tell Mama, Self Touches, Invacuo and TooLess. Now, he focuses on creating installations such as special 3D frames and infinity mirror installations. Erkaya is a member of AIAP (Association International des Arts Plastique) and an accredited photographer from PPOC (Professional Photographers of Canada).

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Artist: Koray Erkaya
Self Touches #10. Black and White Male Nude Photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Self Touches #10, 2013 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Self Touches Hahnemühle FineArt Baryta Paper Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x 40 cm W) Edition of 7 All about nar...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment

Invacuo Project #21. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #21, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 Work is also available framed at an additional cost. All sizes signed, titled, dated, and numbered on artist label verso All Prices are quoted as "initial price". Please note that prices and availability may change due to current sales. _____________________ JAZZ AND GAS Joyful humour characteristic of the pro-democracy environmentalist Gezi Park protests in June 2013. People of all ages, students, writers, artists, actors, musicians, LGBT activists, Anti-Capitalist Muslims, Marxists, Anarchists, Kurdish and Turkish nationalists were peacefully together in the heart of modern Istanbul: Taksim Square. Then the police attacked with tear gas and their usual equipment. But if they use uneven brutal force, then we use uneven intelligence and creativity: “We are fair: Their gas is fresh air.” Such sarcastic slogans multiplied echoing the positive, hopeful, unyielding and determined character of the our jazz like plural harmony. If Sultanahmet Square is the heart of Classical Istanbul with its Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, Taksim Square represents the modern city: the central statue representing the national liberation war and the formation of the Turkish Republic, Gezi Park, Ataturk Cultural Centre, big hotels, and the historic Istiklal (Independence) Street. Eyes shed tears not only because we laughed due to high quality satirical slogans but also because of the harmful gas and the deaths of several youngsters. Numerous citizens lost an eye or arm. Thanks to international media coverage, the inspiring Gezi Park resistance (or “June Movement”) in Turkey drew attention all over the world -while the pro-government media kept silent. Whether on purpose or not, tear gas –and its canisters at close range- took several lives. Don’t let anybody fool you: Tear gas may kill. And it did. Though “as a nation” we had been used to gas in previous demonstrations, one point was unique: The whole city was gassed. Babies, old people and citizens with asthma suffered in their homes. Before the police attack, maybe most of the young protesters were “merely” environmentalists without a major political orientation. Tear gas brutality transformed most of them into political activists. Since that June, our lungs, souls and future have been full of that gas. Tear gas has been used not only in Turkey but in many other countries as well –since the 1990s. We tend to think that “Every soul shall taste it,” –sounding like a statement from a holy book. The situation is unacceptable: A child on the way to get bread for breakfast may die –in fact be killed by the police using tear gas without proper concern and care. Tear gas is a chemical weapon. It’s vital to comprehend that. The marketing is well-phrased but misleading: “Made from fruit and vegetables, wholly organic.” But when it is used at close range, its metal canister becomes a bullet. Fifty years ago, in late 1960s, 90 countries signed a petition against the usage of tear gas. Our country signed the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons, which states that tear gas is considered to be a chemical weapon when it is used in closed places, at close range or in a crowd. Despite this, it has been used time and again in Brasil, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Gaza, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, South Korea, UK, USA, and Vietnam. The Association of Turkish Medical Doctors and the Initiative Against Tear Gas have been working and reacting diligently on this issue. “But the label says it’s harmless,” say some. But the firms that produce gas bombs put labels according to the demands of governments. Are you Shocked? Global trade has priority over humanitarian concern. But why this introduction? Don’t we all know all these things? We certainly do, but the “agenda” changes so fast that our knowledge does not find time to unite with our action in order to change the ongoing chain of events. Enter arts. With the mission of contributing to collective memory, Artist Koray Erkaya creatively documents experience. In his new photographic art series, Erkaya revolts against individual and social de-sensitivisation. In order to address the memory and to increase awareness, he uses “gas” against everyone –without discrimination. He tests his models with gas in the specifically prepared labyrinth made of mirrors. But of course, the gas he uses is not one of the types of tear gas labeled OC, CS or CN. In any case, the violence the people suffer is not limited to the content of the gas. When he started his voyage to display the violence, loneliness, nakedness, helplessness, spiritual and physical isolation of women, children, gays, transsexuals -all the humiliated people under some form of gas, Erkaya began working with models from various nations in Istanbul. Now he is on his way to show that this issue is a problem for all who live on the same planet. When we see ourselves in the eyes of the models in the mirrors...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Metal

Invacuo Project #30. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #30, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Black and White

Don't Tell Mamma #2. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #2, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Invacuo Project #27. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #27, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Image size: 32 in. H x 47 in. W (80 cm H x 120 cm W) Edition o...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Black and White

Invacuo Project #32. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #32, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 All sizes signed, titled, dated, and numbered on artist label verso All Prices are quoted as "initial price". Please note that prices and availability may change due to current sales. _____________________ JAZZ AND GAS Joyful humor characteristic of the pro-democracy environmentalist Gezi Park protests in June 2013. People of all ages, students, writers, artists, actors, musicians, LGBT activists, Anti-Capitalist Muslims, Marxists, Anarchists, Kurdish and Turkish nationalists were peacefully together in the heart of modern Istanbul: Taksim Square. Then the police attacked with tear gas and their usual equipment. But if they use uneven brutal force, then we use uneven intelligence and creativity: “We are fair: Their gas is fresh air.” Such sarcastic slogans multiplied echoing the positive, hopeful, unyielding and determined character of our jazz-like plural harmony. If Sultanahmet Square is the heart of Classical Istanbul with its Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, Taksim Square represents the modern city: the central statue representing the national liberation war and the formation of the Turkish Republic, Gezi Park, Ataturk Cultural Centre, big hotels, and the historic Istiklal (Independence) Street. Eyes shed tears not only because we laughed due to high-quality satirical slogans but also because of the harmful gas and the deaths of several youngsters. Numerous citizens lost an eye or arm. Thanks to international media coverage, the inspiring Gezi Park resistance (or “June Movement”) in Turkey drew attention all over the world -while the pro-government media kept silent. Whether on purpose or not, tear gas –and its canisters at close range- took several lives. Don’t let anybody fool you: Tear gas may kill. And it did. Though “as a nation” we had been used to gas in previous demonstrations, one point was unique: The whole city was gassed. Babies, old people, and citizens with asthma suffered in their homes. Before the police attack, maybe most of the young protesters were “merely” environmentalists without a major political orientation. Tear gas brutality transformed most of them into political activists. Since that June, our lungs, souls, and future have been full of that gas. Tear gas has been used not only in Turkey but in many other countries as well –since the 1990s. We tend to think that “Every soul shall taste it,” –sounds like a statement from a holy book. The situation is unacceptable: A child on the way to get bread for breakfast may die –in fact, be killed by the police using tear gas without proper concern and care. Tear gas is a chemical weapon. It’s vital to comprehend that. The marketing is well-phrased but misleading: “Made from fruit and vegetables, wholly organic.” But when it is used at close range, its metal canister becomes a bullet. Fifty years ago, in the late 1960s, 90 countries signed a petition against the usage of tear gas. Our country signed the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons, which states that tear gas is considered to be a chemical weapon when it is used in closed places, at close range or in a crowd. Despite this, it has been used time and again in Brasil, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Gaza, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, South Korea, UK, USA, and Vietnam. The Association of Turkish Medical Doctors and the Initiative Against Tear Gas have been working and reacting diligently on this issue. “But the label says it’s harmless,” say some. But the firms that produce gas bombs put labels according to the demands of governments. Are you Shocked? Global trade has priority over humanitarian concern. But why this introduction? Don’t we all know all these things? We certainly do, but the “agenda” changes so fast that our knowledge does not find time to unite with our action in order to change the ongoing chain of events. Enter the arts. With the mission of contributing to collective memory, Artist Koray Erkaya creatively documents experience. In his new photographic art series, Erkaya revolts against individual and social de-sensitization. In order to address the memory and to increase awareness, he uses “gas” against everyone –without discrimination. He tests his models with gas in the specifically prepared labyrinth made of mirrors. But of course, the gas he uses is not one of the types of tear gas labeled OC, CS or CN. In any case, the violence the people suffer is not limited to the content of the gas. When he started his voyage to display the violence, loneliness, nakedness, helplessness, the spiritual and physical isolation of women, children, gays, transsexuals -all the humiliated people under some form of gas, Erkaya began working with models from various nations in Istanbul. Now he is on his way to show that this issue is a problem for all who live on the same planet. When we see ourselves in the eyes of the models in the mirrors...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, C Print

Don't Tell Mamma #17. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #17, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Inkjet, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #4. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #4, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 37.5 in. H x 25.5 in. W (96 cm ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #11. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #11, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Invacuo Project #20. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #20, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 Work is also available framed at an additional cost. All sizes signed, titled, dated, and numbered on artist label verso All Prices are quoted as "initial price". Please note that prices and availability may change due to current sales. _____________________ JAZZ AND GAS Joyful humour characteristic of the pro-democracy environmentalist Gezi Park protests in June 2013. People of all ages, students, writers, artists, actors, musicians, LGBT activists, Anti-Capitalist Muslims, Marxists, Anarchists, Kurdish and Turkish nationalists were peacefully together in the heart of modern Istanbul: Taksim Square. Then the police attacked with tear gas and their usual equipment. But if they use uneven brutal force, then we use uneven intelligence and creativity: “We are fair: Their gas is fresh air.” Such sarcastic slogans multiplied echoing the positive, hopeful, unyielding and determined character of the our jazz like plural harmony. If Sultanahmet Square is the heart of Classical Istanbul with its Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, Taksim Square represents the modern city: the central statue representing the national liberation war and the formation of the Turkish Republic, Gezi Park, Ataturk Cultural Centre, big hotels, and the historic Istiklal (Independence) Street. Eyes shed tears not only because we laughed due to high quality satirical slogans but also because of the harmful gas and the deaths of several youngsters. Numerous citizens lost an eye or arm. Thanks to international media coverage, the inspiring Gezi Park resistance (or “June Movement”) in Turkey drew attention all over the world -while the pro-government media kept silent. Whether on purpose or not, tear gas –and its canisters at close range- took several lives. Don’t let anybody fool you: Tear gas may kill. And it did. Though “as a nation” we had been used to gas in previous demonstrations, one point was unique: The whole city was gassed. Babies, old people and citizens with asthma suffered in their homes. Before the police attack, maybe most of the young protesters were “merely” environmentalists without a major political orientation. Tear gas brutality transformed most of them into political activists. Since that June, our lungs, souls and future have been full of that gas. Tear gas has been used not only in Turkey but in many other countries as well –since the 1990s. We tend to think that “Every soul shall taste it,” –sounding like a statement from a holy book. The situation is unacceptable: A child on the way to get bread for breakfast may die –in fact be killed by the police using tear gas without proper concern and care. Tear gas is a chemical weapon. It’s vital to comprehend that. The marketing is well-phrased but misleading: “Made from fruit and vegetables, wholly organic.” But when it is used at close range, its metal canister becomes a bullet. Fifty years ago, in late 1960s, 90 countries signed a petition against the usage of tear gas. Our country signed the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons, which states that tear gas is considered to be a chemical weapon when it is used in closed places, at close range or in a crowd. Despite this, it has been used time and again in Brasil, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Gaza, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, South Korea, UK, USA, and Vietnam. The Association of Turkish Medical Doctors and the Initiative Against Tear Gas have been working and reacting diligently on this issue. “But the label says it’s harmless,” say some. But the firms that produce gas bombs put labels according to the demands of governments. Are you Shocked? Global trade has priority over humanitarian concern. But why this introduction? Don’t we all know all these things? We certainly do, but the “agenda” changes so fast that our knowledge does not find time to unite with our action in order to change the ongoing chain of events. Enter arts. With the mission of contributing to collective memory, Artist Koray Erkaya creatively documents experience. In his new photographic art series, Erkaya revolts against individual and social de-sensitivisation. In order to address the memory and to increase awareness, he uses “gas” against everyone –without discrimination. He tests his models with gas in the specifically prepared labyrinth made of mirrors. But of course, the gas he uses is not one of the types of tear gas labeled OC, CS or CN. In any case, the violence the people suffer is not limited to the content of the gas. When he started his voyage to display the violence, loneliness, nakedness, helplessness, spiritual and physical isolation of women, children, gays, transsexuals -all the humiliated people under some form of gas, Erkaya began working with models from various nations in Istanbul. Now he is on his way to show that this issue is a problem for all who live on the same planet. When we see ourselves in the eyes of the models in the mirrors...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, C Print

Don't Tell Mamma #5. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #5, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Invacuo Project #23. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #23, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 Work is also available framed at an additional cost. All sizes signed, titled, dated, and numbered on artist label verso All Prices are quoted as "initial price". Please note that prices and availability may change due to current sales. _____________________ JAZZ AND GAS Joyful humor characteristic of the pro-democracy environmentalist Gezi Park protests in June 2013. People of all ages, students, writers, artists, actors, musicians, LGBT activists, Anti-Capitalist Muslims, Marxists, Anarchists, Kurdish and Turkish nationalists were peacefully together in the heart of modern Istanbul: Taksim Square. Then the police attacked with tear gas and their usual equipment. But if they use uneven brutal force, then we use uneven intelligence and creativity: “We are fair: Their gas is fresh air.” Such sarcastic slogans multiplied echoing the positive, hopeful, unyielding and determined character of our jazz-like plural harmony. If Sultanahmet Square is the heart of Classical Istanbul with its Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, Taksim Square represents the modern city: the central statue representing the national liberation war and the formation of the Turkish Republic, Gezi Park, Ataturk Cultural Centre, big hotels, and the historic Istiklal (Independence) Street. Eyes shed tears not only because we laughed due to high-quality satirical slogans but also because of the harmful gas and the deaths of several youngsters. Numerous citizens lost an eye or arm. Thanks to international media coverage, the inspiring Gezi Park resistance (or “June Movement”) in Turkey drew attention all over the world -while the pro-government media kept silent. Whether on purpose or not, tear gas –and its canisters at close range- took several lives. Don’t let anybody fool you: Tear gas may kill. And it did. Though “as a nation” we had been used to gas in previous demonstrations, one point was unique: The whole city was gassed. Babies, old people, and citizens with asthma suffered in their homes. Before the police attack, maybe most of the young protesters were “merely” environmentalists without a major political orientation. Tear gas brutality transformed most of them into political activists. Since that June, our lungs, souls, and future have been full of that gas. Tear gas has been used not only in Turkey but in many other countries as well –since the 1990s. We tend to think that “Every soul shall taste it,” –sounds like a statement from a holy book. The situation is unacceptable: A child on the way to get bread for breakfast may die –in fact, be killed by the police using tear gas without proper concern and care. Tear gas is a chemical weapon. It’s vital to comprehend that. The marketing is well-phrased but misleading: “Made from fruit and vegetables, wholly organic.” But when it is used at close range, its metal canister becomes a bullet. Fifty years ago, in the late 1960s, 90 countries signed a petition against the usage of tear gas. Our country signed the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons, which states that tear gas is considered to be a chemical weapon when it is used in closed places, at close range or in a crowd. Despite this, it has been used time and again in Brasil, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Gaza, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, South Korea, UK, USA, and Vietnam. The Association of Turkish Medical Doctors and the Initiative Against Tear Gas have been working and reacting diligently on this issue. “But the label says it’s harmless,” say some. But the firms that produce gas bombs put labels according to the demands of governments. Are you Shocked? Global trade has priority over humanitarian concern. But why this introduction? Don’t we all know all these things? We certainly do, but the “agenda” changes so fast that our knowledge does not find time to unite with our action in order to change the ongoing chain of events. Enter the arts. With the mission of contributing to collective memory, Artist Koray Erkaya creatively documents experience. In his new photographic art series, Erkaya revolts against individual and social de-sensitization. In order to address the memory and to increase awareness, he uses “gas” against everyone –without discrimination. He tests his models with gas in the specifically prepared labyrinth made of mirrors. But of course, the gas he uses is not one of the types of tear gas labeled OC, CS or CN. In any case, the violence the people suffer is not limited to the content of the gas. When he started his voyage to display the violence, loneliness, nakedness, helplessness, the spiritual and physical isolation of women, children, gays, transsexuals -all the humiliated people under some form of gas, Erkaya began working with models from various nations in Istanbul. Now he is on his way to show that this issue is a problem for all who live on the same planet. When we see ourselves in the eyes of the models in the mirrors...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Black and White

Invacuo Project #26. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #26, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 All sizes signed, titled, dated, and numbered on artist label verso All Prices are quoted as "initial price". Please note that prices and availability may change due to current sales. _____________________ JAZZ AND GAS Joyful humor characteristic of the pro-democracy environmentalist Gezi Park protests in June 2013. People of all ages, students, writers, artists, actors, musicians, LGBT activists, Anti-Capitalist Muslims, Marxists, Anarchists, Kurdish and Turkish nationalists were peacefully together in the heart of modern Istanbul: Taksim Square. Then the police attacked with tear gas and their usual equipment. But if they use uneven brutal force, then we use uneven intelligence and creativity: “We are fair: Their gas is fresh air.” Such sarcastic slogans multiplied echoing the positive, hopeful, unyielding and determined character of our jazz-like plural harmony. If Sultanahmet Square is the heart of Classical Istanbul with its Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, Taksim Square represents the modern city: the central statue representing the national liberation war and the formation of the Turkish Republic, Gezi Park, Ataturk Cultural Centre, big hotels, and the historic Istiklal (Independence) Street. Eyes shed tears not only because we laughed due to high-quality satirical slogans but also because of the harmful gas and the deaths of several youngsters. Numerous citizens lost an eye or arm. Thanks to international media coverage, the inspiring Gezi Park resistance (or “June Movement”) in Turkey drew attention all over the world -while the pro-government media kept silent. Whether on purpose or not, tear gas –and its canisters at close range- took several lives. Don’t let anybody fool you: Tear gas may kill. And it did. Though “as a nation” we had been used to gas in previous demonstrations, one point was unique: The whole city was gassed. Babies, old people, and citizens with asthma suffered in their homes. Before the police attack, maybe most of the young protesters were “merely” environmentalists without a major political orientation. Tear gas brutality transformed most of them into political activists. Since that June, our lungs, souls, and future have been full of that gas. Tear gas has been used not only in Turkey but in many other countries as well –since the 1990s. We tend to think that “Every soul shall taste it,” –sounds like a statement from a holy book. The situation is unacceptable: A child on the way to get bread for breakfast may die –in fact, be killed by the police using tear gas without proper concern and care. Tear gas is a chemical weapon. It’s vital to comprehend that. The marketing is well-phrased but misleading: “Made from fruit and vegetables, wholly organic.” But when it is used at close range, its metal canister becomes a bullet. Fifty years ago, in the late 1960s, 90 countries signed a petition against the usage of tear gas. Our country signed the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons, which states that tear gas is considered to be a chemical weapon when it is used in closed places, at close range or in a crowd. Despite this, it has been used time and again in Brasil, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Gaza, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, South Korea, UK, USA, and Vietnam. The Association of Turkish Medical Doctors and the Initiative Against Tear Gas have been working and reacting diligently on this issue. “But the label says it’s harmless,” say some. But the firms that produce gas bombs put labels according to the demands of governments. Are you Shocked? Global trade has priority over humanitarian concern. But why this introduction? Don’t we all know all these things? We certainly do, but the “agenda” changes so fast that our knowledge does not find time to unite with our action in order to change the ongoing chain of events. Enter the arts. With the mission of contributing to collective memory, Artist Koray Erkaya creatively documents experience. In his new photographic art series, Erkaya revolts against individual and social de-sensitization. In order to address the memory and to increase awareness, he uses “gas” against everyone –without discrimination. He tests his models with gas in the specifically prepared labyrinth made of mirrors. But of course, the gas he uses is not one of the types of tear gas labeled OC, CS or CN. In any case, the violence the people suffer is not limited to the content of the gas. When he started his voyage to display the violence, loneliness, nakedness, helplessness, the spiritual and physical isolation of women, children, gays, transsexuals -all the humiliated people under some form of gas, Erkaya began working with models from various nations in Istanbul. Now he is on his way to show that this issue is a problem for all who live on the same planet. When we see ourselves in the eyes of the models in the mirrors...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Black and White

Invacuo Project #22. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #22, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 Work is also available framed at an additional cost. All sizes signed, titled, dated, and numbered on artist label verso All Prices are quoted as "initial price". Please note that prices and availability may change due to current sales. _____________________ JAZZ AND GAS Joyful humour characteristic of the pro-democracy environmentalist Gezi Park protests in June 2013. People of all ages, students, writers, artists, actors, musicians, LGBT activists, Anti-Capitalist Muslims, Marxists, Anarchists, Kurdish and Turkish nationalists were peacefully together in the heart of modern Istanbul: Taksim Square. Then the police attacked with tear gas and their usual equipment. But if they use uneven brutal force, then we use uneven intelligence and creativity: “We are fair: Their gas is fresh air.” Such sarcastic slogans multiplied echoing the positive, hopeful, unyielding and determined character of the our jazz like plural harmony. If Sultanahmet Square is the heart of Classical Istanbul with its Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, Taksim Square represents the modern city: the central statue representing the national liberation war and the formation of the Turkish Republic, Gezi Park, Ataturk Cultural Centre, big hotels, and the historic Istiklal (Independence) Street. Eyes shed tears not only because we laughed due to high quality satirical slogans but also because of the harmful gas and the deaths of several youngsters. Numerous citizens lost an eye or arm. Thanks to international media coverage, the inspiring Gezi Park resistance (or “June Movement”) in Turkey drew attention all over the world -while the pro-government media kept silent. Whether on purpose or not, tear gas –and its canisters at close range- took several lives. Don’t let anybody fool you: Tear gas may kill. And it did. Though “as a nation” we had been used to gas in previous demonstrations, one point was unique: The whole city was gassed. Babies, old people and citizens with asthma suffered in their homes. Before the police attack, maybe most of the young protesters were “merely” environmentalists without a major political orientation. Tear gas brutality transformed most of them into political activists. Since that June, our lungs, souls and future have been full of that gas. Tear gas has been used not only in Turkey but in many other countries as well –since the 1990s. We tend to think that “Every soul shall taste it,” –sounding like a statement from a holy book. The situation is unacceptable: A child on the way to get bread for breakfast may die –in fact be killed by the police using tear gas without proper concern and care. Tear gas is a chemical weapon. It’s vital to comprehend that. The marketing is well-phrased but misleading: “Made from fruit and vegetables, wholly organic.” But when it is used at close range, its metal canister becomes a bullet. Fifty years ago, in late 1960s, 90 countries signed a petition against the usage of tear gas. Our country signed the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons, which states that tear gas is considered to be a chemical weapon when it is used in closed places, at close range or in a crowd. Despite this, it has been used time and again in Brasil, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Gaza, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, South Korea, UK, USA, and Vietnam. The Association of Turkish Medical Doctors and the Initiative Against Tear Gas have been working and reacting diligently on this issue. “But the label says it’s harmless,” say some. But the firms that produce gas bombs put labels according to the demands of governments. Are you Shocked? Global trade has priority over humanitarian concern. But why this introduction? Don’t we all know all these things? We certainly do, but the “agenda” changes so fast that our knowledge does not find time to unite with our action in order to change the ongoing chain of events. Enter arts. With the mission of contributing to collective memory, Artist Koray Erkaya creatively documents experience. In his new photographic art series, Erkaya revolts against individual and social de-sensitivisation. In order to address the memory and to increase awareness, he uses “gas” against everyone –without discrimination. He tests his models with gas in the specifically prepared labyrinth made of mirrors. But of course, the gas he uses is not one of the types of tear gas labeled OC, CS or CN. In any case, the violence the people suffer is not limited to the content of the gas. When he started his voyage to display the violence, loneliness, nakedness, helplessness, spiritual and physical isolation of women, children, gays, transsexuals -all the humiliated people under some form of gas, Erkaya began working with models from various nations in Istanbul. Now he is on his way to show that this issue is a problem for all who live on the same planet. When we see ourselves in the eyes of the models in the mirrors...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, C Print

Invacuo Project #25. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #25, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 All sizes signed, titled, dated, and numbered on artist label verso All Prices are quoted as "initial price". Please note that prices and availability may change due to current sales. _____________________ JAZZ AND GAS Joyful humor characteristic of the pro-democracy environmentalist Gezi Park protests in June 2013. People of all ages, students, writers, artists, actors, musicians, LGBT activists, Anti-Capitalist Muslims, Marxists, Anarchists, Kurdish and Turkish nationalists were peacefully together in the heart of modern Istanbul: Taksim Square. Then the police attacked with tear gas and their usual equipment. But if they use uneven brutal force, then we use uneven intelligence and creativity: “We are fair: Their gas is fresh air.” Such sarcastic slogans multiplied echoing the positive, hopeful, unyielding and determined character of our jazz-like plural harmony. If Sultanahmet Square is the heart of Classical Istanbul with its Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, Taksim Square represents the modern city: the central statue representing the national liberation war and the formation of the Turkish Republic, Gezi Park, Ataturk Cultural Centre, big hotels, and the historic Istiklal (Independence) Street. Eyes shed tears not only because we laughed due to high-quality satirical slogans but also because of the harmful gas and the deaths of several youngsters. Numerous citizens lost an eye or arm. Thanks to international media coverage, the inspiring Gezi Park resistance (or “June Movement”) in Turkey drew attention all over the world -while the pro-government media kept silent. Whether on purpose or not, tear gas –and its canisters at close range- took several lives. Don’t let anybody fool you: Tear gas may kill. And it did. Though “as a nation” we had been used to gas in previous demonstrations, one point was unique: The whole city was gassed. Babies, old people, and citizens with asthma suffered in their homes. Before the police attack, maybe most of the young protesters were “merely” environmentalists without a major political orientation. Tear gas brutality transformed most of them into political activists. Since that June, our lungs, souls, and future have been full of that gas. Tear gas has been used not only in Turkey but in many other countries as well –since the 1990s. We tend to think that “Every soul shall taste it,” –sounds like a statement from a holy book. The situation is unacceptable: A child on the way to get bread for breakfast may die –in fact, be killed by the police using tear gas without proper concern and care. Tear gas is a chemical weapon. It’s vital to comprehend that. The marketing is well-phrased but misleading: “Made from fruit and vegetables, wholly organic.” But when it is used at close range, its metal canister becomes a bullet. Fifty years ago, in the late 1960s, 90 countries signed a petition against the usage of tear gas. Our country signed the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons, which states that tear gas is considered to be a chemical weapon when it is used in closed places, at close range or in a crowd. Despite this, it has been used time and again in Brasil, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Gaza, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, South Korea, UK, USA, and Vietnam. The Association of Turkish Medical Doctors and the Initiative Against Tear Gas have been working and reacting diligently on this issue. “But the label says it’s harmless,” say some. But the firms that produce gas bombs put labels according to the demands of governments. Are you Shocked? Global trade has priority over humanitarian concern. But why this introduction? Don’t we all know all these things? We certainly do, but the “agenda” changes so fast that our knowledge does not find time to unite with our action in order to change the ongoing chain of events. Enter the arts. With the mission of contributing to collective memory, Artist Koray Erkaya creatively documents experience. In his new photographic art series, Erkaya revolts against individual and social de-sensitization. In order to address the memory and to increase awareness, he uses “gas” against everyone –without discrimination. He tests his models with gas in the specifically prepared labyrinth made of mirrors. But of course, the gas he uses is not one of the types of tear gas labeled OC, CS or CN. In any case, the violence the people suffer is not limited to the content of the gas. When he started his voyage to display the violence, loneliness, nakedness, helplessness, the spiritual and physical isolation of women, children, gays, transsexuals -all the humiliated people under some form of gas, Erkaya began working with models from various nations in Istanbul. Now he is on his way to show that this issue is a problem for all who live on the same planet. When we see ourselves in the eyes of the models in the mirrors...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Black and White

Don't Tell Mamma #12. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #12, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 37.5 in. H x 25.5 in. W (96 cm...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #12. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #12, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (96 cm H x...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #8. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #8, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 34 in. H x 34 in. W (85 cm H x ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #3. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #3, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Black and White

Don't Tell Mamma #15. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #15, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Invacuo Project #24. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #24, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, C Print

Don't Tell Mamma #9. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #9, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #11 and 9. Black and white nude photograph. Diptych
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Diptych: Don't Tell Mamma #11 and #9, 1994-2010 From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Individual Image Size: 24 in. H x 16 in. ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #10 and #4. Black and White Nude Photographs Diptych
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #10 and #4, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Individual Image Size: 24 H x 16 W....
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #7. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #7, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #13, Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #13, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #10, Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #10, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #1. Black and white lips photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #1, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 34 in. H x 34 in. W (85 cm H x ...
Category

1990s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Black and White

Don't Tell Mamma #16. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #16, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x...
Category

1990s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Don't Tell Mamma #6. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #6, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Invacuo Project #18. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #18, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 24 cm W) Edition of 10 Work is also available framed at an additional cost. All sizes signed, titled, dated, and numbered on artist label verso All Prices are quoted as "initial price". Please note that prices and availability may change due to current sales. _____________________ JAZZ AND GAS Joyful humour characteristic of the pro-democracy environmentalist Gezi Park protests in June 2013. People of all ages, students, writers, artists, actors, musicians, LGBT activists, Anti-Capitalist Muslims, Marxists, Anarchists, Kurdish and Turkish nationalists were peacefully together in the heart of modern Istanbul: Taksim Square. Then the police attacked with tear gas and their usual equipment. But if they use uneven brutal force, then we use uneven intelligence and creativity: “We are fair: Their gas is fresh air.” Such sarcastic slogans multiplied echoing the positive, hopeful, unyielding and determined character of the our jazz like plural harmony. If Sultanahmet Square is the heart of Classical Istanbul with its Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, Taksim Square represents the modern city: the central statue representing the national liberation war and the formation of the Turkish Republic, Gezi Park, Ataturk Cultural Centre, big hotels, and the historic Istiklal (Independence) Street. Eyes shed tears not only because we laughed due to high quality satirical slogans but also because of the harmful gas and the deaths of several youngsters. Numerous citizens lost an eye or arm. Thanks to international media coverage, the inspiring Gezi Park resistance (or “June Movement”) in Turkey drew attention all over the world -while the pro-government media kept silent. Whether on purpose or not, tear gas –and its canisters at close range- took several lives. Don’t let anybody fool you: Tear gas may kill. And it did. Though “as a nation” we had been used to gas in previous demonstrations, one point was unique: The whole city was gassed. Babies, old people and citizens with asthma suffered in their homes. Before the police attack, maybe most of the young protesters were “merely” environmentalists without a major political orientation. Tear gas brutality transformed most of them into political activists. Since that June, our lungs, souls and future have been full of that gas. Tear gas has been used not only in Turkey but in many other countries as well –since the 1990s. We tend to think that “Every soul shall taste it,” –sounding like a statement from a holy book. The situation is unacceptable: A child on the way to get bread for breakfast may die –in fact be killed by the police using tear gas without proper concern and care. Tear gas is a chemical weapon. It’s vital to comprehend that. The marketing is well-phrased but misleading: “Made from fruit and vegetables, wholly organic.” But when it is used at close range, its metal canister becomes a bullet. Fifty years ago, in late 1960s, 90 countries signed a petition against the usage of tear gas. Our country signed the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons, which states that tear gas is considered to be a chemical weapon when it is used in closed places, at close range or in a crowd. Despite this, it has been used time and again in Brasil, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Gaza, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, South Korea, UK, USA, and Vietnam. The Association of Turkish Medical Doctors and the Initiative Against Tear Gas have been working and reacting diligently on this issue. “But the label says it’s harmless,” say some. But the firms that produce gas bombs put labels according to the demands of governments. Are you Shocked? Global trade has priority over humanitarian concern. But why this introduction? Don’t we all know all these things? We certainly do, but the “agenda” changes so fast that our knowledge does not find time to unite with our action in order to change the ongoing chain of events. Enter arts. With the mission of contributing to collective memory, Artist Koray Erkaya creatively documents experience. In his new photographic art series, Erkaya revolts against individual and social de-sensitivisation. In order to address the memory and to increase awareness, he uses “gas” against everyone –without discrimination. He tests his models with gas in the specifically prepared labyrinth made of mirrors. But of course, the gas he uses is not one of the types of tear gas labeled OC, CS or CN. In any case, the violence the people suffer is not limited to the content of the gas. When he started his voyage to display the violence, loneliness, nakedness, helplessness, spiritual and physical isolation of women, children, gays, transsexuals -all the humiliated people under some form of gas, Erkaya began working with models from various nations in Istanbul. Now he is on his way to show that this issue is a problem for all who live on the same planet. When we see ourselves in the eyes of the models in the mirrors...
Category

2010s Conceptual Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, C Print

Invacuo Project #28. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #28, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Black and White

Don't Tell Mamma #14. Black and white nude photograph
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Don't Tell Mamma #14, 1994-2010 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Don't Tell Mamma Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Deckled Edge Image size: 24 in. H x 16 in. W (60 cm H x...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

Invacuo Project #33. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #33, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

C Print, Archival Pigment

Invacuo Project #31. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #31, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Paper Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 All sizes signed, titled, dated, and numbered on artist label verso All Prices are quoted as "initial price". Please note that prices and availability may change due to current sales. _____________________ JAZZ AND GAS Joyful humor characteristic of the pro-democracy environmentalist Gezi Park protests in June 2013. People of all ages, students, writers, artists, actors, musicians, LGBT activists, Anti-Capitalist Muslims, Marxists, Anarchists, Kurdish and Turkish nationalists were peacefully together in the heart of modern Istanbul: Taksim Square. Then the police attacked with tear gas and their usual equipment. But if they use uneven brutal force, then we use uneven intelligence and creativity: “We are fair: Their gas is fresh air.” Such sarcastic slogans multiplied echoing the positive, hopeful, unyielding and determined character of our jazz-like plural harmony. If Sultanahmet Square is the heart of Classical Istanbul with its Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, Taksim Square represents the modern city: the central statue representing the national liberation war and the formation of the Turkish Republic, Gezi Park, Ataturk Cultural Centre, big hotels, and the historic Istiklal (Independence) Street. Eyes shed tears not only because we laughed due to high-quality satirical slogans but also because of the harmful gas and the deaths of several youngsters. Numerous citizens lost an eye or arm. Thanks to international media coverage, the inspiring Gezi Park resistance (or “June Movement”) in Turkey drew attention all over the world -while the pro-government media kept silent. Whether on purpose or not, tear gas –and its canisters at close range- took several lives. Don’t let anybody fool you: Tear gas may kill. And it did. Though “as a nation” we had been used to gas in previous demonstrations, one point was unique: The whole city was gassed. Babies, old people, and citizens with asthma suffered in their homes. Before the police attack, maybe most of the young protesters were “merely” environmentalists without a major political orientation. Tear gas brutality transformed most of them into political activists. Since that June, our lungs, souls, and future have been full of that gas. Tear gas has been used not only in Turkey but in many other countries as well –since the 1990s. We tend to think that “Every soul shall taste it,” –sounds like a statement from a holy book. The situation is unacceptable: A child on the way to get bread for breakfast may die –in fact, be killed by the police using tear gas without proper concern and care. Tear gas is a chemical weapon. It’s vital to comprehend that. The marketing is well-phrased but misleading: “Made from fruit and vegetables, wholly organic.” But when it is used at close range, its metal canister becomes a bullet. Fifty years ago, in the late 1960s, 90 countries signed a petition against the usage of tear gas. Our country signed the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons, which states that tear gas is considered to be a chemical weapon when it is used in closed places, at close range or in a crowd. Despite this, it has been used time and again in Brasil, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Gaza, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, South Korea, UK, USA, and Vietnam. The Association of Turkish Medical Doctors and the Initiative Against Tear Gas have been working and reacting diligently on this issue. “But the label says it’s harmless,” say some. But the firms that produce gas bombs put labels according to the demands of governments. Are you Shocked? Global trade has priority over humanitarian concern. But why this introduction? Don’t we all know all these things? We certainly do, but the “agenda” changes so fast that our knowledge does not find time to unite with our action in order to change the ongoing chain of events. Enter the arts. With the mission of contributing to collective memory, Artist Koray Erkaya creatively documents experience. In his new photographic art series, Erkaya revolts against individual and social de-sensitization. In order to address the memory and to increase awareness, he uses “gas” against everyone –without discrimination. He tests his models with gas in the specifically prepared labyrinth made of mirrors. But of course, the gas he uses is not one of the types of tear gas labeled OC, CS or CN. In any case, the violence the people suffer is not limited to the content of the gas. When he started his voyage to display the violence, loneliness, nakedness, helplessness, the spiritual and physical isolation of women, children, gays, transsexuals -all the humiliated people under some form of gas, Erkaya began working with models from various nations in Istanbul. Now he is on his way to show that this issue is a problem for all who live on the same planet. When we see ourselves in the eyes of the models in the mirrors...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Black and White

Invacuo Project #29. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #29, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 60 cm W) Edition of 10 ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, Black and White

Invacuo Project #19. B&W Portrait inspired by the Gezi Park resistance movement
By Koray Erkaya
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Invacuo Project #19, 2016 by Koray Erkaya From the series of Invacuo Project Hahnemühle Photo Matt Fibre Duo 210 Image size: 16 in. H x 24 in. W (40 cm H x 24 cm W) Edition of 10 Work is also available framed at an additional cost. All sizes signed, titled, dated, and numbered on artist label verso All Prices are quoted as "initial price". Please note that prices and availability may change due to current sales. _____________________ JAZZ AND GAS Joyful humour characteristic of the pro-democracy environmentalist Gezi Park protests in June 2013. People of all ages, students, writers, artists, actors, musicians, LGBT activists, Anti-Capitalist Muslims, Marxists, Anarchists, Kurdish and Turkish nationalists were peacefully together in the heart of modern Istanbul: Taksim Square. Then the police attacked with tear gas and their usual equipment. But if they use uneven brutal force, then we use uneven intelligence and creativity: “We are fair: Their gas is fresh air.” Such sarcastic slogans multiplied echoing the positive, hopeful, unyielding and determined character of the our jazz like plural harmony. If Sultanahmet Square is the heart of Classical Istanbul with its Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, Taksim Square represents the modern city: the central statue representing the national liberation war and the formation of the Turkish Republic, Gezi Park, Ataturk Cultural Centre, big hotels, and the historic Istiklal (Independence) Street. Eyes shed tears not only because we laughed due to high quality satirical slogans but also because of the harmful gas and the deaths of several youngsters. Numerous citizens lost an eye or arm. Thanks to international media coverage, the inspiring Gezi Park resistance (or “June Movement”) in Turkey drew attention all over the world -while the pro-government media kept silent. Whether on purpose or not, tear gas –and its canisters at close range- took several lives. Don’t let anybody fool you: Tear gas may kill. And it did. Though “as a nation” we had been used to gas in previous demonstrations, one point was unique: The whole city was gassed. Babies, old people and citizens with asthma suffered in their homes. Before the police attack, maybe most of the young protesters were “merely” environmentalists without a major political orientation. Tear gas brutality transformed most of them into political activists. Since that June, our lungs, souls and future have been full of that gas. Tear gas has been used not only in Turkey but in many other countries as well –since the 1990s. We tend to think that “Every soul shall taste it,” –sounding like a statement from a holy book. The situation is unacceptable: A child on the way to get bread for breakfast may die –in fact be killed by the police using tear gas without proper concern and care. Tear gas is a chemical weapon. It’s vital to comprehend that. The marketing is well-phrased but misleading: “Made from fruit and vegetables, wholly organic.” But when it is used at close range, its metal canister becomes a bullet. Fifty years ago, in late 1960s, 90 countries signed a petition against the usage of tear gas. Our country signed the 1997 Convention on Chemical Weapons, which states that tear gas is considered to be a chemical weapon when it is used in closed places, at close range or in a crowd. Despite this, it has been used time and again in Brasil, Chile, Egypt, Germany, Gaza, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Panama, the Philippines, South Korea, UK, USA, and Vietnam. The Association of Turkish Medical Doctors and the Initiative Against Tear Gas have been working and reacting diligently on this issue. “But the label says it’s harmless,” say some. But the firms that produce gas bombs put labels according to the demands of governments. Are you Shocked? Global trade has priority over humanitarian concern. But why this introduction? Don’t we all know all these things? We certainly do, but the “agenda” changes so fast that our knowledge does not find time to unite with our action in order to change the ongoing chain of events. Enter arts. With the mission of contributing to collective memory, Artist Koray Erkaya creatively documents experience. In his new photographic art series, Erkaya revolts against individual and social de-sensitivisation. In order to address the memory and to increase awareness, he uses “gas” against everyone –without discrimination. He tests his models with gas in the specifically prepared labyrinth made of mirrors. But of course, the gas he uses is not one of the types of tear gas labeled OC, CS or CN. In any case, the violence the people suffer is not limited to the content of the gas. When he started his voyage to display the violence, loneliness, nakedness, helplessness, spiritual and physical isolation of women, children, gays, transsexuals -all the humiliated people under some form of gas, Erkaya began working with models from various nations in Istanbul. Now he is on his way to show that this issue is a problem for all who live on the same planet. When we see ourselves in the eyes of the models in the mirrors...
Category

2010s Conceptual Koray Erkaya Black and White Photography

Materials

Archival Pigment, C Print

Koray Erkaya black and white photography for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Koray Erkaya black and white photography available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Koray Erkaya in archival pigment print, pigment print, c print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Koray Erkaya black and white photography, so small editions measuring 16 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Arslan Sükan, Klaus Kampert, and MAE Curates. Koray Erkaya black and white photography prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,400 and tops out at $6,900, while the average work can sell for $2,400.

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