Çağdaş Arap Sanatında Fotoğrafik İmgenin Estetik ve Kavramsal Dönüşümü (2010–2022)

Abstract

Bu çalışma, çağdaş Arap sanatında fotoğrafın kullanımını teknik, estetik ve kavramsal boyutlarıyla incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Araştırmanın önemi, fotoğrafın yalnızca belgesel bir araç değil, aynı zamanda bireysel ve toplumsal hafızayı, kimlik inşasını ve kültürel temsilleri görünür kılan güçlü bir görsel dil olarak işlev görmesinden kaynaklanmaktadır. Çalışmanın varsayımı, fotoğrafik imgenin çağdaş sanatta yeni anlatı biçimleri üreterek hem sanatçıların kişisel deneyimlerini hem de kolektif belleği yansıttığıdır. Bu bağlamda araştırma sorusu, “Fotoğraf çağdaş Arap sanatında hangi estetik ve kavramsal işlevleri üstlenmekte ve sanatçılar tarafından hangi yöntemlerle yeniden yorumlanmaktadır?” şeklinde belirlenmiştir. Çalışmanın kapsamını, 2010–2022 yılları arasında Ürdün, Filistin, Lübnan, Mısır, Irak ve Fas’tan seçilen yedi çağdaş sanatçının eserleri oluşturmaktadır. Nitel bir araştırma yaklaşımı benimsenmiş; sanatçı beyanları, sergi katalogları, eleştirel metinler ve çevrim içi arşivler üzerinden betimsel-analitik yöntem uygulanmıştır. Bulgular, sanatçıların fotoğrafı resim, baskı, enstalasyon ve sanatçı kitabı gibi farklı mecralarla bütünleştirerek yeni görsel katmanlar yarattığını; malzeme ve teknik seçimleri üzerinden kimlik, hafıza ve mekân temalarını görünür kıldığını ortaya koymuştur. Sonuç olarak, çalışma fotoğrafın çağdaş Arap sanatındaki işlevlerini sınıflandıran özgün bir çerçeve önermekte ve bu işlevlerin sanatçının kişisel deneyimlerini toplumsal bağlamla ilişkilendirdiğini göstermektedir.

Keywords

• : fotoğraf
• çağdaş Arap sanatı
• hafıza
• kimlik
• malzeme

The Aesthetic and Conceptual Transformation of the Photographic Image in Contemporary Arab Art (2010–2022)

Abstract

This study aims to examine the use of photography in contemporary Arab art in its technical, aesthetic, and conceptual dimensions. The significance of the research lies in the fact that photography functions not only as a documentary tool but also as a powerful visual language that reveals individual and collective memory, identity formation, and cultural representations. The study's premise is that the photographic image, by generating new narrative forms, reflects both the personal experiences of the artists and the collective memory. In this context, the research question is formulated as: “What aesthetic and conceptual functions does photography undertake in contemporary Arab art, and through which methods is it reinterpreted by artists?” The scope of the study consists of works of seven contemporary Arab artists from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, and Morocco between 2010 and 2022. A qualitative research approach was adopted, applying a descriptive-analytical method based on artist statements, exhibition catalogues, critical texts, and online archives. The findings reveal that the artists integrate photography with painting, printmaking, installation, and the artist’s book, thereby creating new visual layers and highlighting themes of identity, memory, and space through their choices of material and technique. In conclusion, the study proposes an original framework that classifies the functions of photography in contemporary Arab art and demonstrates how these functions relate the artists’ personal experiences to broader social contexts.

Keywords

• photography
• contemporary Arab art
• memory
• identity
• material

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