Welcome to Al-Monitor Istanbul.

Istanbul has inspired legions of photographers, so this week’s edition zooms in on the medium, thanks to the latest edition of the 212 Photography Istanbul festival. In addition, there is Monochrome, the darkroom-brasserie where images meet food, a documentary on Ara Guler, the city’s legendary “eye,” and acknowledgment of a few key dates in the history of photography. Together, they frame Istanbul through solitude and crowds, light and shadows.

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Nazlan (@NazlanEr on X)

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1. Leading the week: 212 Photography Istanbul

Cooper & Gorfer, “Segal and The Tiger.” Courtesy of 212 Photography Istanbul.

The festival 212 Photography Istanbul returns with its signature flair for mixing and matching, this edition including Turkish and foreign voices, fashion and funerary stones, high-gloss galleries and hidden cemeteries. The citywide event runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, offering assorted pleasures through venue-hopping and fascinating contrasts.

Start at Yapı Kredi Bomontiada, where the artist duo Cooper & Gorfer present “Between These Folded Walls, Utopia,” a portrait series on womanhood, migration and imagination. Working with young refugee women, Sarah Cooper and Nina Gorfer transform personal stories into mythic, collective images that challenge the conventions of portraiture. While there, also step into “A Suspended Tomorrow,” a thought-provoking exhibition on works by........

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