Nur Koçak, 1941

Nur Koçak is one of the pioneers of photorealism in Türkiye, which aims to transfer the reality documented by photographs onto the canvas without interpretation. After studying under the painter Turgut Zaim, she continued her studies in the United States. Returning to Türkiye in 1960, she worked with artists such as Cemal Tollu, Neşet Günal, and Adnan Çoker.

Her series “Fetish Objects/Object Females,” which she began in the 1970s, coincides with a period in which Nur Koçak criticized consumerist society’s attitude toward the female body and sexuality. Her works from this period frequently show objects used to ornament the female body, like perfume, nail polish, lipstick, lace, and underwear. Later, Koçak moved toward works that highlight social and family values.

The series “Cahide’s Story,” which took as its starting point the biography of Turkey’s first cinema star, Cahide Sonku, exemplifies this approach. Having produced important works in cinema and theatre in the 1930s, Sonku’s portraits are divided into two groups called “before” and “after.” In the “before” group, we are presented with a Sonku who is smiling contently and confident in her beauty, while in the “after” group, we see a tired, anxious, and fatigued woman. The stock image of the woman as an object of consumption in the visual culture can, as time passes, be reduced and simplified.