THE BRIDGE OF CONSCIENCE BUILT BETWEEN TWO SQUARES: UĞUR GALLENKUŞ AND THE STRIKING LANGUAGE OF “PARALLEL UNIVERSES”

A single photograph can sometimes tell a story on its own. But when two photographs are placed side by side, the tension between them can reveal a much more powerful truth. Digital collage artist Uğur Gallenkuş’s works, titled “Parallel Universes,” are born precisely from this moment of encounter: the striking confrontation between two realities that exist within the same world but are disconnected from each other… Born in Niğde in 1990, the artist spent his childhood and youth in Istanbul and has been living in Kocaeli since 2024. After completing his bachelor’s degree in business administration, his experiences in various sectors led him to a completely different field of expression. Gallenkuş, who has defined himself as a “digital collage artist” since 2020, traces his story back to the early 2010s, when social media began to rise.

A JOURNEY THAT BEGAN WITH AN IDEA

The artist began learning photo editing software as a hobby in 2014, initially sharing his amateur photo-montage works on social media platforms.

As the artist emphasizes, it is the “idea” rather than the technique that makes a work powerful. Realizing that he had a different perspective led him to express his thoughts through the universal language of visual art. Starting with critical and humorous works on current events in Türkiye, cinema, and social issues, his creative process gradually evolved to address more global and human issues.

THE TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT OF A PHOTOGRAPH

The photograph of Alan Kurdi, a Syrian child whose lifeless body was found on the Bodrum coast in 2015, marks a turning point in the artist’s production practice. The image of Alan Kurdi, just one of thousands of people who lost their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean, deeply affected Gallenkuş and inspired one of his first works addressing international issues. From this period onwards, themes of war, migration, and refugeehood took center stage, and the artist began to juxtapose two different photographs in a single frame, leading to the format now known as “Parallel Universes.” In late 2018, publishing some of these works in article format on an international content platform created an unexpectedly powerful impact and brought his work global visibility.

“PARALLEL UNIVERSES”: SIMPLE TECHNIQUE, PROFOUND MESSAGE

The technique of the series is formally simple: two different photographs are placed side by side. However, this simplicity makes the weight of the content more visible. On one side of the composition is often an editorial photograph depicting pain, poverty, war, or inequality; on the other side is a frame representing the comforts of everyday life, a glamorous event, or consumer culture. According to the artist, the point is not just to create a striking contrast, but to confront the viewer with two fundamental thoughts: “I could have been on the side experiencing this pain” and “Do I appreciate the things I have?” In today’s digital age, thousands of photos and hundreds of videos flow by every day, and most images are quickly forgotten. Gallenkuş explains his reason for choosing the collage technique at this point: “It’s easier to remember and make sense of a single powerful frame. Moreover, thanks to the universality of visual expression, there is no need for a common language to grasp the message.” In this sense, the artist defines visual art as “the master of languages.”

GLOBAL ISSUES, SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

The main focus of his work is war, forced migration, and refugees. In a world where nearly 100 million people have been displaced, this issue is no longer exceptional but a structural reality. Even the inclusion of the “Refugee Team” in the Olympic Games highlights the scale of the problem. However, the artist has broadened his focus over time. Children’s and women’s rights, animal rights, environmental crises, socio-economic inequalities, and corrupt politics are also part of his creative practice. He emphasizes that an editorial photograph taken in one country does not represent a problem unique to that geography. Famine in Sudan, poverty in the United Kingdom, violence against women in Germany or France… While the severity of the problems may vary, the fundamental issues are shared on a global scale. Gallenkuş’s aim is not to invite the viewer to look at a single country or culture, but to see the reflections in their own society.

THE DIGITAL AGE, ALGORITHMS, AND THE SEARCH FOR PERMANENCE

The internet and social media have played a decisive role in the artist’s international visibility. The first works published in Türkiye have transcended borders and reached a wide audience when transferred to a global platform. However, the algorithm-based structure of today’s social media ecosystem creates a new challenge in terms of art production. Algorithms narrowing the scope of discovery and demanding constant sharing from content creators have led artists to consciously choose slowness. In order to avoid becoming part of the consumption- oriented content cycle, they prioritize limiting the frequency of production. This pursuit of permanence has also reflected in printed publications. The books “Parallel Universes of Children” and “Parallel Universes of War and Peace,” curated and published by Arzu Tunca, ensure that the works gain an archival integrity. The works are particularly recommended for school libraries, as they are used as teaching materials by teachers in different countries and are the subject of students’ academic work. Furthermore, through exhibitions that extend beyond digital screens, the aim is for the works to meet the audience in exhibition halls, schools, and public spaces. Uğur Gallenkuş’s production is not just a visual bridge between two photographic frames. That bridge aims to shorten the distance between the viewer and the world. On one side is the comfort we are accustomed to, on the other side are the realities we often ignore… “Parallel Universes” reminds us that we actually live on a single planet.