Seeing through Ara Güler’s lens
Come along with me and let us walk into the Ara Güler Museum in Istanbul. Immediately, you will feel a pull that goes beyond art — like returning to a space that holds both memory and identity. Ara Güler, the man known as “The Eye of Istanbul,” was not just a genius with the camera; he was an Armenian whose lens captured truths that words often failed to hold or even understand. Moving past the displayed black and white photographs, we not only see Istanbul’s streets, fishermen and neighborhoods, but fragments of our own history refracted through his work — a world full of vibrancy and color.
When I first walked into the museum, I expected to see history captured on film, but instead, I felt like history was gazing back at me. Robert Capa’s photographs were the featured exhibit, displaying photographs of war-torn faces, the quiet dignity of rural Anatolia, the grandeur of Istanbul — it reminded me of something I too often forget: a camera is not just an object; it is a witness.
Capa carried a heavy camera, film rolls and the patience and will to risk his life for a single frame. My generation carries iPhones — with a swipe and a tap, we can record anything: a sunset, a selfie or the flash of breaking news, all to be shared on social media as bite-sized clips. Standing there, among photographs obtained through grit and hardship, I felt the difference — the weight of each photograph. Our phones chase speed and entertainment videos, snapshots that vanish into feeds, liked and shared but eventually lost to ever-shifting algorithms. Capa’s lens chased the truth — his photographs didn’t ask to be scrolled past; they demanded that you stop and feel.
As I moved through the exhibition, I thought about my own camera roll. How many pictures I’ve taken without ever looking back, how many stories I’ve failed to convey because I treated the camera as a distraction rather than a responsibility. The museum and Capa’s images reminded me that photography is not about perfection or performance, but about preserving what matters: a smile or frown, a story or even a seemingly fleeting piece of history.
Leaving the museum, I tucked my phone back into my pocket with a different weight. It was no longer just a device for momentary entertainment. I realized it was a tool, and perhaps even a challenge. Could I use it more like Capa used his Leica, not to stage but to reveal? Could I let it become less about picture-perfect filters and more about truth? For the first time in a long time, I wanted to try.
For Armenians in the diaspora, the Ara Güler Museum is more than a gallery; it is a tribute. Too often, we are taught that our stories live on the sidelines, that our voices are silenced in the larger history. But here, an Armenian stood tall with his camera, documenting the very city that bore witness to so much of our collective joy and pain. Güler’s photographs of old Istanbul — the crumbling stones, the narrow alleys, the mosaic of communities — reminded me that our colorful culture, even if the photos are black and white, has always been interwoven into the fabric of this city.
As I left the museum, I carried something more than admiration for a master photographer. I carried a sense of responsibility that Armenians in the diaspora should come, see, remember and experience beauty. The Ara Güler Museum is a place where we can reconnect with our roots, celebrate resilience and enjoy the beauty of a culture that endures despite hardship. Ara Güler’s lens did not only preserve Istanbul; it preserved a piece of me and it can do the same for you, too.
All photos are courtesy of the author
Talented though he was, the late Ara Guler was an unashamed Erdogan sycophant and supporter. So no, an unabashed Erdogan supporter, who lashed out and insulted those who criticised him for his fawning and defense of Erdogan, who is a rabid Armenophobe and has insulted Armenians and threatened Armenia multiple times, deserves no respect.
And the other Istanbul Armenian, Daron Acemoglu, who won the Nobel Economic Prize in 2024, is an unashamed Kemalist, the Turkish nationalist ideology of the founder of the Republic of Turkey and its first president, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who was also one of the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide, and who dealt the death blow and the final destruction of the Armenian population and Western Armenia by 1921.
Istanbul Armenians, who are Erdogan supporters or Kemalists, absolutely deserve no respect, let alone praise.
Not sure what to think about this review, and yes Steve M. has made some very important points. Take a look at this review of Art Guler’s exhibit in Amsterdam from a year or so ago, a critical and necessary take in how it was curated, confronting that which is silenced; the range of silences that surround his life, his work, his legacy, our histories. https://www.iias.asia/the-newsletter/article/setting-tone-lieu-exhibition-review