SAMİH RİFAT 
"Much Is to Be Done"

"Much Is to Be Done" is an exhibition that departs from the both ethically and aesthetically uncompromising work of Samih Rifat, an important figure in the world of culture renowned for his photographs, translations, documentaries and writings. We could describe his work as “an act of art and thought”, and this exhibition aims to expand his creative process in order to understand this intellectual of “a thousand arts”, who sadly passed away too early.

A highly competent man of culture with broad fields of interest, and nurtured by the artistic and intellectual legacy of both the West and Anatolia, Samih Rifat used his different pursuits as integrative tools coming together in his aesthetic direction and harmony. Although traces of his architectural education can be perceived in his ability for structure and sense of balance, he never professionally worked as an architect, other than a short period in restoration work.

Among the many fields he worked in, photography was the one he felt closest to; he described himself as a photographer rather than a photography artist. He wanted his photographs to be published in magazines, to accompany pieces of writing, or to be used in books, but he never thought of exhibiting them, and he never held an exhibition. From the early 80s on, his writings on photography, photographers, photography books and exhibitions were published in various magazines. His book titled Akla Kara Arası [Between Black and White], including the work of some photographers and his texts on photography, was published in 2002.

He directed documentaries on various topics. “Simurg-Gerçeğin Peşinde Otuz Yolcu [Simurg-Thirty Travellers in Search of Truth]” was one of the most important documentary series that brought together artists and scholars in 15 episodes.

Rifat began work in the field of translation at an early age, and his first translations were published in Yazko magazine. His passion for language and Turkish, it could be said, came from his grandfather Samih Rifat Bey, one of the founders of the Turkish Language Society, and his father Oktay Rifat, one of the great masters of Turkish poetry.

He translated the books or the works of writers he found close to himself, with meticulous attention rarely encountered today. From Byzantine poets and philosophers to contemporary French poets, he masterfully translated many texts into Turkish. He was interested in antiquity, and in his final years he had begun to study ancient Greek. According to Ferit Edgü, he did this in order to “hear the voice, the resonance in the words of the poets and philosophers he translated, and to make his readers hear it, too”.

He worked not only as a translator in the publishing world, but also as a writer, a consultant and editorial director. Published posthumously, Çocuğu Anlat Bana [Tell Me about the Child] is Samih Rifat’s first and only book of poetry. Another book, Ada [Island] comprises subtle, short texts on his childhood.

Samih Rifat passed away in 2007. His poetic creativity and refined enthusiasm were evident in every task he undertook. In the many projects he pioneered, he connected with different traditions through gratitude and appreciation, masterfully combining collaboration and friendship. This exhibition, featuring his photographs, books, some notebooks, drawings and documentaries, is not only “a portrait of a modest intellectual” who occupied the very centre of artistic and intellectual life, but also sheds light on a distinctive period in the world of culture and arts.