Photo gallery opening features debut artist from Turkey

The Buskirk-Chumley Theater will host its monthly art gallery reception Friday featuring photography by IU research scientist Kagan Tuncay.\nThe reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m., and his work will be on display until June 29, according to www.buskirkchumley.org.. \nOriginally from Ankara, Turkey, Tuncay received his doctorate in engineering from Texas A&M in 1995. He has since taught in Turkey and Texas and worked as a researcher in Bloomington and Holland. Although his research job in Bloomington was originally temporary, his love for the town brought him back in 2003. \n“Bloomington is a comfortable place to live,” he said. “Finding a place to live in Holland is a challenge.”\nTuncay’s debut exhibit is titled “Southern Indiana Landscape.” His familiarity with the area led him to create his exhibit entirely of photos that were taken within approximately 40 miles of Bloomington.\n“If you go to Arizona, it’s just a snapshot,” he said. “You take the best photos in places you know.”\nHe said his work in fields like geoscience, chemistry and computational biology have also been a driving force for some of the ideas in his photography.\n“I am obsessed with angles and lines,” Tuncay said. “I try to pay attention to the location of clouds.”\nAshley Robison, gallery coordinator of the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, said Tuncay’s photos have a classic look.\n“There is an Old Hollywood style, but applied to landscapes.”\nHis work as a photographer started when he was a child in Turkey, where he would develop his own photos at home. When he became a doctoral student, he no longer had time to continue with photography. But now, because his job offers him flexible hours, he has time to shoot photos in the morning, evening, or on weekends, he said.\nTuncay said that if he had the opportunity to become a professional photographer, he would be fine with settling for less money than he makes now, but expressed concern that it may not be a feasible way to make a living for other reasons.\n“I haven’t tested the market; I may be too conservative to try it,” he said. \nThis exhibit exemplifies his current stage in his life, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to move to the next one.\n“I had some idea (of what) I wanted to accomplish before I move on to the next project,” he said. “I’m still trying to figure out the next one.” One of his dreams, for instance, is to travel to Nepal, he said.\nHe has been interested in opening at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater because he photographed the theater, and his photo won second place in the Monroe County Postcard Contest. He donated a print of it to the Theater, where all artwork from that contest is on display and for sale.\nFor more information on the gallery or upcoming events at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, visit www.buskirkchumley.org.