Metropolis Chronicles
Erhan Coral

January 11 – February 25, 2024

Erhan Coral's second solo exhibition “Metropolis Chronicles: Capturing Urban Architecture and Humanity” will be on view at Galeri 77 between January 11 - February 25, 2024. "Metropolis Chronicles" is a photography exhibition in which architectural and human stories intertwine, taking the viewer into the heart of the urban landscape. The works in this selection go beyond what is purely visual; they tell the stories of modern cities through the eyes of urbanism, architectural wonders and the individuals who call these places home.

Each photograph in this exhibition is a chapter of the chronicles of urban life. From the sleek lines of contemporary spaces to the well-established facades of historic buildings, “Metropolis Chronicles” presents the evolution of the architectural styles that shape our urban world in different geographies. In the midst of these architectural dialogues, the exhibition also turns its focus to the people who give life to these spaces. Humanity's interaction with its surroundings appears in frames that convey common emotions such as loneliness, happiness, faith and fear. Rather than placing the individuals in the photographs, the artist reflects them in a natural and sincere ways, just as they exist in the city. The relationship between human beings and the environment they live in is analyzed through the contrast between the size, imposing effect and coldness of modern buildings and the naivety and warmth of human beings.

In this new selection, a continuation of Erhan Coral's previous solo exhibition “Alone in the City”, which dealt with the contrast between the social density in large metropolises and the feeling of loneliness that individuals feel in this density, this time the artist focuses on the relationship between human and space, a sub-detail of the relationship between human and city. While the photographs in the exhibition examine the spatial identities formed by people through metropolises and megapolises such as Istanbul, London, New York and Boston, the details including cultural and historical spaces such as St. Paul's Cathedral, Tate Modern, Atatürk Cultural Center make us think about the evolution of the complex relationships between humanity and the structures it has built over the centuries. The relationship between humans and the space they occupy reflects their ability to explore, change and adapt their environment, as well as the urban loneliness and isolation created by metropolises, in a mood similarly evoked by the works of Edward Hopper.