Aim and Scope

As the Visual Communication Design Department of Maltepe University, we wish to organize an international online exhibition in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of John Berger's "Ways of Seeing," first published in 1972 and still taught in numerous educational programs across different disciplines today. In this valuable work, Berger examines artworks from the 15th to the 20th century through ideological, avant-garde, feminist, and postmodernist approaches without categorization.

While interpreting how our perception of artworks changes according to various factors, he also highlights how art history has been used by advertisers to manipulate consumer perception. Furthermore, referencing Walter Benjamin's publications from forty years prior, Berger reinterprets the uniqueness and aura of artworks - key issues of the 20th century as photography and printing technologies advanced. He reintroduces the question of how the reproduction and transformation of artworks - once only visible in museums or collectors' homes - into elements of cinema, advertising posters, wall decorations, and even portable accessories affects our perception through diverse perspectives. "Ways of Seeing" served as inspiration for feminist artists and writers seeking new avenues of expression at the time of its publication and continues to offer a forward-looking perspective that inspires us today.

Having reread "Ways of Seeing" with our students year after year and found it as meaningful as when we first encountered it, we believe this work can inspire internationally active professional artists and emerging artists alike, potentially transforming into enduring artworks for tomorrow's art through today's new production methods. We would be honored to exhibit your valuable works based on this conviction.