Born and lived in London, Sinem Yoruk studied Media Arts (BA) and Management Studies (Bsc) at Royal Holloway University of London. After graduating Sinem Yoruk went into media and event coordination in the field of Film and TV. Several years later she joined the Turkish Automobile Sports Federation in Istanbul where she was in charge of the technical and sporting of the events such as Formula 1, World Rally Championship, European Rally Championship and so on. In 2004, she joined Chromacopy, the pioneering Professional Photographic Lab in Turkey and co-founded Atelier Elipsis to present museum standard, fine-art printing to the region. In 2007, she established Elipsis Gallery which became the first commercial art gallery to focus solely on the art of photography in Turkey. Sinem Yoruk has curated and consulted various exhibitions, events and has delivered seminars and workshops on the History of Photography, Collecting Photography and various Printing Techniques. She is also a nominator for the international Prix Pictet Awards. She continues her dedication as a passionate advocate of the art of photography, in building awareness towards the local and international photographers within the region.
Here are her As to our Qs!
When are you happiest?
Being with the people I love.
What motivates you?
New beginnings, passion, travel, love.
Which city or cities are centers of creativity and inspiration for you?
London: where I re-charge
Rome: the legacy, The Pantheon, the mother of all domes
Paris: always good to me
Venice: to go back in time
Istanbul: the Orient
For you, what does Istanbul stand for?
Old and new, exotic, energetic, dynamic, i love the fact that theres always something new to discover.
What do you think about the city (cities) you live in?
London – Home
Istanbul – Endless possibilities
Which era would you have preferred to live in?
Jazz Age – courteousness, authentic grace, elegance and black-tie glamour.
What’s your current source of inspiration?
Magazines, loads of magazines.
Your most memorable journey?
One of the recent ones I guess – the journey back from London to Istanbul, stranded after the Volcanic ash saga. Coincidentally my brother, Kerem was in town and the two of us set off, we literally re-lived the movie – planes, trains and automobiles… We had a laugh.
Who or what inspired you to be an gallerist?
In general, misunderstanding and lack of representation of the art of photography, in Turkey.
Your favorite place to visit to get ideas?
Anywhere that has great books.
Your most cherished possession?
My instincts.
How would you describe your world in 3 words?
On the move, couragous, passionate.
Key moment in your life?
The decision to leave London mid 20s.
Favorite recent discovery?
Cinnamon rolls with vanilla ice cream.
Favorite artist of all times?
Its difficult to say but I know I get overly excited whenever I see a Rothko, and ofcourse a large print of any Avedon.
How will you be remembered?
Hopefully as one who did something good.
What can’t you live without?
Music.
Whats on repeat on your iPod?
Depending on my mood, but these days I keep going back to Miles Davis, especially It Never Entered My Mind…
Names of people whom you think revolutionized the art world?
Oh many names, one way or the other i’d say Manet, Monet, Picasso, Alfred Stieglitz, Man Ray, Peggy Guggenheim, Leo Castelli, Andy Warhol, Marina Abramovic, Ai Weiwei, Charles Saatchi the list is long.
What is the trait you most deplore about yourself?
Indecisiveness.
What’s your motto?
Never say never.
What would you title your autobiography?
No regrets.
What would we find in your refrigerator right now?
A bottle of Ruinart, plus various rolls of Kodak films.
How photography as an art form differentiates from other forms for you?
We are all surrounded by photography from the moment we are born. Everybody is part of it.
What are your favorite shots?
Now that’s a tough one…
Is there a creative activity that you want to pursue that you have been postponing? What is it?
Making the time to edit and print my own photographic works.
If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?Alice in Wonderland!