Yusuf Sevinçli’s Photography Addresses Cyprus’s Hidden Modern Histories

Yusuf Sevinçli’s photographs in the exhibition ‘Panorama: Hayaller ve Yerler’ examine traces of Cyprus’s modern history that have often been rendered invisible, according to a post associated with İstanbul Modern. The works are described as operating through intuition and emotion, creating a dark, atmospheric view of the island’s past.

The post frames the exhibition through the idea of “suspended time,” asking how a feeling of being caught between periods can be conveyed through photography. Rather than presenting Cyprus’s modern history as a straightforward chronological account, Sevinçli’s work is characterized by an approach rooted in mood, perception and the suggestive qualities of the image.

The exhibition title, ‘Panorama: Hayaller ve Yerler’, can be translated as ‘Panorama: Dreams and Places’. The description emphasizes the relationship between place and memory, with the photographs addressing historical remnants that are not always immediately visible. Their dark atmosphere is presented as a means of approaching those absences through feeling as much as through documentary observation.

The available announcement does not identify the specific photographs included in the exhibition, nor does it provide an exhibition venue, opening or closing dates, or further details about the presentation. It also does not offer biographical information about Sevinçli beyond identifying him as the photographer responsible for the works discussed.

The announcement’s focus remains on Cyprus, photography and the perception of an unresolved or suspended past. It describes Sevinçli’s contribution to ‘Panorama: Hayaller ve Yerler’ as an exploration of the island’s modern histories through obscured traces, intuition and a deliberately dark visual atmosphere.