Insights - Mauer Mag

Out of Flaw | Bartu Oncuoglu

Bartu Oncuoglu is an Instant Photographer artist, born and based in Istanbul, Turkey. The time when his life collided with instant photography was during a trip to Paris in 2015. Over the years that followed, he began to feel more comfortable with this medium of expression.

In 2018 he held his very first solo exhibition called FLAW in Istanbul. In this body of work he questioned, by seeking the path of flaws, the term of perfection and how people perceive it. In 2019 Bartu also participated in several group exhibitions and went to Barcelona for The Experimental Photography Festival. He is currently a member of 12.12 Project.

Because his major related with politics, it could be said that his inspiration often comes from something related with this topic. The heritage from former civilizations who used to live in the artist’s region, like the Byzentines and Ottomans, and their perception of art and architecture can also be reflected in the artist work and ideas.

Bartu mainly uses his SX-70 Alpha 1 and SX-70 film. Currently he uses Mint’s SLR670-X and 600 film. From the first day he owns the SX-70, he is fascinated by the unique design of this timeless camera. The color variation on SX-70 film is another thing he loves about it.