Light, form and memory

Twenty-nine large-format photographs dedicated to Italy’s architectural heritage and to its millenary dialogue with the Mediterranean occupy the exhibition space as if they were not representations but actual architectures. Born in Istanbul in 1949 and trained as an architect, Ahmet Ertuğ brings to each image the precision of someone who learned to read space before photographing it. His approach and technique stem from a deeply architectural gaze, capable of moving through space in order to restore its original vision. Through the use of large-format photography and long exposures, Ertuğ constructs images of extraordinary precision, in which natural light shapes the space and amplifies its spiritual dimension.

Thus, when facing the monumental interiors he captures, the gaze rises “beyond the vanishing point”, offering a suspended perception of time and matter. “Ertuğ does not look at a work of art, but merges with it, becomes one with it; his regenerative gaze protects, sculpts, involves… a vision,” observes Serge Lutens.
The exhibition follows a clearly defined thread: the relationship between Italy and the Mediterranean world. Within this dialogue between East and West appears the work dedicated to the dome of Hagia Sophia – a return to origins for Ertuğ, who through this sixth-century vault reconnects his own identity with the universal history of architecture. His photographs open access to hidden places or spaces normally closed to the public, transforming each image into a visual privilege. The gaze rises and lingers, while time seems to pause in the filtered light of a monumental interior. Each photograph becomes an invitation to pause, to preserve the memory of places and to recognise in architecture a timeless bridge between cultures and eras.

Featured image: Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Venezia, 1537 – 1588 © Ahmet Ertuğ