Journeys of an urban traveler

ISTANBUL

In his recent photography series, displayed at Istanbul’s Gallery Ark, photography artist Timurtaş Onan reinterprets the typology of flaneur, the modern time traveler.

Onan looks for the traces of the flaneur in the 21st century, the conception that was first explored in the writings of Charles Baudelaire in the 19th century to identify an observer of modern urban life.

Flaneur often derives his power from his mobility, moving towards his everlasting search for the unknown.

Onan’s photos walk us around the cities of Paris, Prague, Luxembourg, Zagreb, Belgrade and Dubrovnik. Time and places change but being on the road remains unchanged.

Starting his photography career under the influence of the movies, the exhibition, titled “Lost in Cities,” flows like black and white moving images presenting a cinematic reality.

Onan invites viewers to watch the kaleidoscopic manifestations of contemporary cities. Looking at the series, the viewers begin a journey in the cities in Europe, looking down the window, watching the passers-by on the streets. The rhythm of the city is sensed through the voices of children playing in a city square or from the footsteps of the woman crossing the bridge.

Onan questions the possibility of experiencing the world through the eyes of a flaneur. By taking into consideration our inability to switch off the screen culture, how can we pursue the unknown in the post-digital era? Observing everyday life through scrolling screens, where can a man get lost?

“Lost in Cities,” which looks to the future of the search for the unknown and journey of one’s self-discovery, will continue through Feb. 4.