Sedad Hakki Eldem II, Retrospective

April 8th - July 31th 2009

In the 50-year time span from the 1930s to the 1980s, Sedad Hakkı Eldem clearly stands out as the most influential figure in Turkish architecture. During his long career, he held active roles as architect, teacher and researcher. He was both a master builder and a writer whose ideas are still relevant today. Impossible to emulate as a role model, Eldem was an outstanding personality that aroused envy, admiration and occasional antagonism. His extraordinarily prolific production began when he was still in middle school and lasted until his death in 1988. "Sedad Hakkı Eldem (1908-1988) I Early Years", the recent exhibition organized by the Ottoman Bank Archive and Research Center, and its accompanying publication focused on the architect's youth up to his first built work in 1930. The new exhibition opening on April 8, 2009, "Sedad Hakkı Eldem (1908-1988) II Mature Years" and its comprehensive companion book address the totality of the famous architect's production and provide an extensive analysis of his life's work. 

An essential feature of the exhibition and its companion book is that it draws mainly on Eldem's personal archive, the largest archive of its kind in Turkey. The exhibition is thus an archive exhibition in presentation and content. The goal has been to display the architect's works without aestheticizing them and to generate instead awareness of their historical value. The curators have strived to offer viewers the posssibility of multiple readings reminiscent of the architect's own multifaceted personality. It is also hoped that the archival materials on view may trigger more research on Eldem in the future.   

The exhibition was curated by Bülent Tanju and Uğur Tanyeli. Bülent Erkmen designed both the exhibition and the accompanying book to which a number of academics contributed. 

Symposium