ISTANBUL’74 and Lehmann Maupin will present Los Angeles-based photographer and filmmaker Alex Prager’s debut exhibition in Turkey from May 22 through June 20, 2015. While concurrently opening the fifth edition of the Istanbul International Arts & Culture Festival (IST. Festival) curated by ISTANBUL’74 in collaboration with W Magazine, this exhibition will feature a selection of existing works from Prager’s large-scale photographs as well as video work. The artist will be present for the opening reception on Friday, May 22, from 6-8PM.

Prager’s elaborately staged scenes tap into a shared cultural memory drawing inspiration from a wide range of influences and references including Hollywood cinema, experimental films, popular culture and street photography. Her familiar, yet strange, images suggest a sense of timelessness, while also creating a world that synthesizes fiction and reality. The artist is also interested in the ways in which audiences perceive and experience the pervasive cultural power of Hollywood films. These references infuse Prager’s works with a narrative quality, leading the viewer to speculate on the “before and after” of the moment and characters depicted in her images.

About the Artist

Alex Prager (b. 1979) is a Los Angeles-based photographer and filmmaker. She has had a number of solo museum exhibitions at institutions including the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2014); the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (2013); SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia (2013); and the FOAM Photography Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2012). Prager was also prominently featured in New Photography 2010 at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Prager has been recognized with the FOAM Paul Huf Award (2012), among other honors. Her editorial work has been featured in prominent publications including Garage, Vogue and W, and her film series “Touch of Evil,” commissioned by The New York Times Magazine, won a 2012 Emmy Award. Prager’s work is represented in the collections of major museums including New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and Moderna Museet in Stockholm,

About Lehmann Maupin

Founded in 1996 by partners Rachel Lehmann and David Maupin, Lehmann Maupin has fostered the careers of a diverse group of internationally renowned artists, both emerging and established, working in multiple disciplines and across varied media. With three locations – two in New York and one in Hong Kong – the gallery represents artists from the United States, Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. Known for championing artists who create groundbreaking and challenging forms of visual expression, Lehmann Maupin presents work highlighting personal investigations and individual narratives through conceptual approaches that often address such issues as gender, class, religion, history, politics,

About ISTANBUL’74

Founded by Demet Muftuoglu Eseli and Alphan Eseli in late 2009, ISTANBUL’74 cultivates platforms that connect Istanbul to the international cultural scene by turning the city into a hub for global events and acting as the principal international arts and cultural provider of Turkey. A unique experience that forges cultural and artistic relations by bringing together some of the world’s most talented and creative minds to the city of Istanbul. Thriving on creative exchange and operating in non-traditional ways, ISTANBUL’74 is engaged in a range of activities that include cultural events, festivals, workshops, exhibitions, and artistic collaborations, which involve the leading minds of their respective fields from all over the world. ISTANBUL’74’s diverse programs combine various creative disciplines, including fashion, film, music, design, architecture and performing arts.

Located in Galatasaray and Karaköy, Istanbul, ISTANBUL’74’s gallery spaces act as the headquarters of ISTANBUL’74 for Art, Fashion and Design, exhibiting the contemporary works of both local as well as international artists, and has organized and curated exhibitions for a variety of established and international contemporary artists with different artistic backgrounds.

In 2010, ISTANBUL’74 initiated The Istanbul International Arts & Culture Festival (IST. Festival), an annual, high-profile international festival that is open to the public and free-of-admission. A unique experience that forges cultural and artistic relations by bringing together some of the world’s most talented and creative minds to the city of Istanbul.