Bahar Yürükoğlu's Istanbul Exhibition Explores Human-Nature Reconciliation Through Photography

Turkish-American artist Bahar Yürükoğlu presented her solo exhibition 'Maybe I’d like to be like you' at Art Sümer in Istanbul from 10 March to 22 April 2017. The show featured nine photographic prints ranging from A4 to A0 sizes, exploring themes of human-nature dialogue through both naturalistic and manipulated imagery. Works included Untitled (2016) showing a hand grasping a plant stem, and Untitled (2017) depicting manicured fingers reaching for a flower. Other pieces like Inversion (2016) and A Drawing (2016) featured geometric shapes physically placed in forest settings before being photographed, challenging assumptions of digital manipulation. The exhibition included Transfixion (2016) with refracted multicolored sunlight and Subversion (2016) using magenta filters and prismatic effects. New Composition (2017) presented computer-generated imagery with a clip-art skull and potted palm against a neon gradient. Yürükoğlu's work followed her second residency in Antarctica and contrasted with her 2016 exhibition 'Flow Through' which included site-specific Plexiglas installations, Arctic soundscapes, and video. The Karaköy neighborhood gallery faced lighting challenges due to construction and frosted glass, affecting the presentation of dark, glossy prints like The Forest Party (2016). The exhibition was reviewed in ArtReview Asia's Summer 2017 issue.