Joint Turkish-Armenian exhibit faces forward

Ten photographers put together the exhibition called "Merhabarev/Yerevan-Istanbul," which depicts daily life in Yerevan and Istanbul. It opens on Oct. 22 and runs through Oct. 29.

The exhibit's title is a combination of the words "Merhaba" and "Barev" meaning "Hello" in Turkish and Armenian respectively.

The Turkish documentary photographers are Ozcan Yurdalan, Serra Akcan, Mehmet Kacmaz, Kerem Uzel and Tolga Sezgin, and those from Armenia are Ruben Mangasaryan, Karen Mirzoyan, Anahit Hayrapetyan, Nelli Sismanyan and German Avagyan.

Mainly highlighting the importance of direct dialogue and an unprejudiced approach, the photographers focused on the importance of greetings in all encounters by combining the two words.

The photographers also aimed at emphasizing the importance of the future and of looking towards the future even when catching daily life on film.

In the belief that relations between the two nations can become normal by overcoming problems stemming from a lack of dialogue and overcoming prejudices, the photographers aimed to reflect what they saw and experienced through their lenses.

After first opening in Yerevan's best-known cultural center the Moscow Cinema, it's on in Istanbul and will then go to Europe to France, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. The New Anatolian

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