Ismail Necmi

Career

Based in Istanbul and Berlin, Ismail Necmi works as an independent filmmaker, photographer and visual artist. After graduating in Law from Istanbul University, he collaborated on a number of movies, shorts and documentaries. As an independent photographer, his most notable projects have been; “Stills From Unmade Films | Thessaloniki”, a Solo Black & White Photography Exhibition in Macedonian Museum Of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki and "Stills From Unmade Films | Berlin" in Berlin Art Projects in Berlin. His debut real-life feature film, “Should I Really Do It?”, which he produced, wrote, directed, shot and edited, has been shown at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival 2009 as an official selection in the Discovery programme, and in many other international film festivals including Montreal, Reykjavik, Sao Paulo, Haifa, Rome, Hamburg, Bangkok, Cairo, Costa Rica, Goteborg, Mumbai and Thessaloniki. The movie was awarded 'Daniel Langlois Innovation Award' at the International Competition of the 38th Montreal International Festival du Nouveau Cinema 2009; both 'Most Promising New Director Award' and 'Most Promising New Screenwriter Award' at the 20th Ankara International Film Festival 2009; and ‘Audience Choice Award’ at the International Competition of the inaugural Rome Gender DocuFilm Festival 2010. The movie was also shown at Istanbul MODERN, Istanbul's Museum of Modern Art, as the opening movie of an interdisciplinary conference on fetishism. In addition to his creative work, Necmi has also taught at a number of universities, including the departments of Visual Communication Design and Photography at Istanbul Bilgi University and the Department of Radio,Television and Cinema at Istanbul's Kadir Has University.

Style

Although perhaps better known internationally as a filmmaker, Ismail Necmi has been one of the most influential and distinctive forces in underground Turkish photography since the 1990s. In a national tradition long dominated by photojournalistic realism, his edgy and often surreal work takes the most colloquial forms of still images and explores the layers of dream, fantasy and artifice that are really at play in the everyday in contemporary Turkey. Necmi has worked over prolonged periods of time with real individuals in Istanbul, offering people from diverse walks of life an aesthetic space in which they can visually express the aspirations and desires that animate their lives but which they can’t easily articulate in words – whether to transform into the person they want to be, or to show inner-selves they normally hide from everyone, or to live out their ultimate sexual fantasy. Moreover, given Necmi’s distinctive obsession with the blurred margins between life, art and fantasy, this exhibition enables viewers to explore the deep continuities between the critically acclaimed photojournalism of post-WWII Turkey and the resistant underground photography that has developed in its wake, as it struggles to capture more complex dimensions of ‘the real’ in Turkey, drawing on the visual traditions both of Europe and the Middle East.

Samuel Williams

Articles

The images of Ismail Necmi weave, through a game of transformation, desire and fantasy, a unique photographic tapestry, somewhare between sensation and hallucination. With obvious references to silent cinema and the evocative landscape photography of Ansel Adams, the oeuvre of this accomplished Turkish artist puts forth extreme and often surrealist aspects of certain subjects, capturing the truth of the heroes and eliciting their secrets. In his black and white frames lurk the colors of intensity, sensuality, and eccentricity. His landscapes are breathtaking. His nudes awaken our instincts. The expressions on people’s faces tell stories which were never captured on celluloid, yet that is precisely what they imply. The artist’s duality, as a photographer and filmmaker, defines his work. He pays attention to detail, he explores the borders between the real and the imaginary, he directs with a single click – the moment the shutter closes – what existed before and what will come after.

Dimitri Eipides

Truth might well be stranger than fiction, but who would have thought it could be so hallucinogenic? The film follows the surreal story of Petra (Petra Woschniak), a mesmerizing figure who scours the streets of Istanbul. We are introduced to her twilight universe via daily sessions with her very unusual therapist Herold (Herold). This masked conversationalist is a wine-sipping, coke-sniffing man of unspecified sexual orientation who tries to break down Petra's defences while maintaining his own. Hidden behind a leather S&M mask and topped off with a variety of flamboyant wigs, he talks her through her deepest fears, though his intentions are unclear. They talk about her life, which initially comes off as a never-ending party. Sporting an intimidating shaved head, Petra is involved with fashion and other artistic endeavours, and has actually made a name for herself as a hairdresser. Residing in Istanbul as an illegal immigrant, the thirty-eight-year-old German enjoys wide recognition in local alternative circles. She spends her time experiencing life and consuming large quantities of drugs, until the day comes when she has to pay her dues. Petra lost her father, her mother and one of her own kidneys to cancer, and now it seems her twin sister is about to become a casualty of the disease as well. Swiftly leaving Istanbul to care for her sibling in Germany, Petra finds her life suddenly transformed into a series of quiet, homey afternoons in the countryside with her sister's dogs. It seems she has decided to take a break from her exorbitant lifestyle and befriend the boring neighbours. But will she be able to suppress her Istanbul personality forever? And what is the big secret behind her self-inflicted isolation? Luring us in with a promise of a rational explanation, Ismail Necmi introduces us to a shadowy world of serpentine women and fetishistic males. Moving between fantasy and reality, you soon discover the best place is in between, a nifty little spot where you can be anyone you want to be, no explanations, no holds barred. Necmi, a renowned photographer, moves easily between these realms with fascinating confidence. The result is an intelligent, original and strikingly attractive film.

Dimitri Eipides

Exhibitions | Performances | Workshops

Art Fairs

Publications

Press

International Representation

BERLINARTPROJECTS | Potsdamer Str. 61│D-10875 Berlin | www.berlinartprojects.com

Filmography

Collaborations

Awards

Festivals

Special Screenings

Contact

ISMAIL NECMI | www.ismailnecmi.com