Talk: Ahmet Ersoy

SALT Ulus

The exhibition Modern Turkey’s Discovery of the Ottoman Heritage: The Ali Saim Ülgen Archive, which is on view until September 15 at SALT Ulus, focuses on Turkey’s conservation issues, restoration practices and the architectural history of Turkey based on the world of Ali Saim Ülgen (1913-1963), one of the pioneering architectural restoration experts of his time. Architectural historian Ahmet Ersoy, who derived the exhibition concept in collaboration with SALT, will give a talk examining the writing of architectural history in Turkey in relation to works by Ülgen.

During the research process of the exhibition, Ersoy studied Ülgen’s books, articles and conference presentations both published and drafted, as well as his working and teaching notes. In his talk at SALT Ulus, Ersoy will concentrate on the long administrative and academic career of Ülgen, extending from the 1930s into the 1960s with the aim of resituating him within the map of architectural historiography in modern Turkey.

Ahmet Ersoy is Associate Professor at the History Department of Boğaziçi University. His work deals with issues related to politics of cultural representation, art, and architecture in the late Ottoman world.

The talk will be held in Turkish.