Yener Torun uncovers Istanbul, one Instagram at a time
Yener Torun has made quite a name for himself on Instagram. His colourful profile is simplistically beautiful, showcasing an alternative view of the traditional Turkish city, Istanbul.
With a following of over 40,000 thousand on the photographic platform, 32-year-old Torun’s passion for buildings stemmed from his architectural background. His imagery captures a side to Istanbul even long term residents are unaware of, the brightly coloured buildings and geometric shapes tucked away beneath the layer of traditional.
Torun’s quest to hunt out architectural treasures began after he noticed how proficient Instagram was at bringing these rainbow buildings to life. He was able to give these hidden buildings, walls and geometric shapes new meaning, all with the help of his trusty iPhone. By escaping the one-dimensional, conventional side to Istanbul he believes he is able to provide a better understanding of the city, for his viewers, and himself.
His work displays his preference for modernist architecture, choosing to stay clear of the ancient scene most would associate with Istanbul. Favoring to photographing the business districts of Kavacik, Merter and Cevizlibag, his work also often taking him to other cities, such as Izmir, Bursa and Mugla.
Having lived in the city for 14 years, he has openly admitted that he does not consider himself to be an ‘architectural photographer’, and finding locations can sometimes be a challenging, mental exercise. One he is willing to participate in, as the city still manages to surprise him and reveal spots that are worth sharing with his 40,000 thousand followers.
Offering an alternative view of the historic Turkish city, Torun’s work not only captivates his viewers with bold colours, but also gives them an insight to a new realm of Istanbul. Tourists, and even residents, associate the city with mosques, old streets and traditional life, Torun’s photography demonstrations that there is more than meets the eye.
His attention to detail is understatedly clever, he coordination the colours of the walls, to the individuals that happen to be passing by. Reflecting both the energy of the architecture, and giving his human subjects a story by contrasting their clothing to the paint pallet like walls. Blending the buildings and the people brings the images to life; the elements juxtapose effortlessly.
It’s hard to ever imagine Torun’s Instagram profile as anything but a kaleidoscopic of vivid colours, but he began photographing like most. It wasn’t till he discovered the minimalistic beauty that Istanbul had kept a secret that he began letting his followers in on it too.
His profile not only stands out in the overwhelming amount of people using the platform today, it begs you to scroll further down, eyes glued to the colour that jumps out of the phone. Like an addiction, he’s hooked anyone who happen to stumble across his page, the images could be pages in a book, and deserve to be for that matter – perhaps a new project is on the horizon.
