SALT’s second branch in Galata, which opened its doors last week, is hosting three temporary exhibitions at the moment. If you haven’t been to SALT Galata yet, located in the historic Ottoman Bank on Bankalar Caddesi in Karaköy, it is definitely worth a visit. Information about its three inaugural exhibitions can be found below. SALT Galata, Bankalar Caddesi No.11, Karaköy; P: (0212) 334 22 00

Foto Galatasaray

The exhibit entitled Foto Galatasaray consists of selections from the photographs of the late Maryam Şahinyan, who ran a photography studio in the Galatasaray district of Beyoğlu from 1935 to 1985. Şahinyan’s studio was patronized by tens of thousands of people during this fifty-year period, a period which saw numerous important political and social developments in Turkey, from WWII to the events of 1955 to the Cyprus crisis. The black-and-white photographs in this exhibition – chosen and restored under the direction of Tayfun Serttaş from roughly 200,000 negatives belonging to the studio – are thus a visual record of five decades of Istanbul life, and especially of the city’s Armenian community of which Şahinyan was a part. Photography aficionados will not want to miss this exhibit, opening at SALT’s new Galata space.

When: November 22 – January 22

How much: Free

Geçmişe Hücum: Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nda Arkeolojinin Öyküsü, 1753-1914

The nascent interest in archaeology in the late Ottoman Empire is one that will be familiar to those who have seen the Pera Museum’s recent exhibit entitled Osman Hamdi Bey and the Americans. Now, SALT’s newly opened space in Galata features an exhibit entitled Scramble for the Past: A Story of Archaeology in the Ottoman Empire, 1753 – 1914, organized by Zainab Bahrani, Zeynep Çelik, and Edhem Eldem. On display in this exhibit will be documents, books, photographs, and maps by both Western and Ottoman explorers, as well as archaeological findings from numerous parts of the former Ottoman Empire: Greece, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. The support structure for the exhibit is by architect Celine Condorelli (with graphic design by Aslı Altay), and it contains additional installations by artists Mark Dion and Michael Rakowitz.

When: November 22 – March 11

How much: Free

Peçesi Açılan Modernizm / Tarihleri Örgülemek

In her exhibit entitled Modernity Unveiled / Interweaving Histories, artist Gülsün Karamustafa focuses on the work of Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, who immigrated to Istanbul during WWII from Nazi-occupied Austria (by way of Stalin’s USSR.) Schütte-Lihotzky was responsible for designing the plans of grade schools for Turkey’s Village Institutes, a program intended to further the economic development of Anatolian villagers during Depression-era Turkey. The exhibit consists of black-and-white photographs of projects undertaken in Anatolian villages during this period, displayed within wooden structures built by Karamustafa which themselves resemble buildings in progress. Modernity Unveiled / Interweaving Histories is a fascinating look at an important period in the early history of the Turkish Republic.

When: November 22 – January 22

How much: Free