About Us

The Center’s purpose and objectives can be summarized as follows:

• To conserve personal or institutional photographic archives that hold significant cultural value yet may be at risk (including archives belonging to public institutions, local governments, commercial studios, the press, etc.); to preserve these archives in their entirety under conditions that meet international standards, protecting them from all physical threats and the deteriorating effects of time. In doing so, the Center aims to prevent the loss of these archives and secure their transmission to future generations.
• To digitize the archives in high resolution using advanced technological systems operated by specialized staff.
• To make digitized material searchable through keywords, and accessible both onsite and remotely; to integrate material into archive management software that complies with international standards; and to ensure that the extensive digital collection is accurately tagged and described.
• To make all content publicly accessible through the Center’s website, particularly supporting historians, social scientists, artists, and academics who examine Türkiye’s ethnographic and cultural structures from a historical perspective.
• To ensure that the archive, strengthened over time through long-term strategies, serves as a source of inspiration for new artistic and academic production; and to encourage and support work in fields such as social sciences, art history, architecture, and design by creating opportunities for younger generations.
• To develop collaborative projects with institutions in Türkiye and abroad that conduct similar archival and conservation work.
• To recognize and support the potential of a broad community of photographers across Türkiye, including those working within local photography associations, independent studios, photography clubs, fine arts faculties, or through individual practice, many of whom seek greater visibility and aspire to pursue their work at a higher intellectual level. Participation rates in national photography competitions and open-call exhibitions clearly reveal this potential. One of BEVFAM’s founding aims is to support these individuals and integrate their work into Türkiye’s intellectual and cultural memory.
• In summary, the Center’s fundamental purpose is to address the longstanding issue of cultural memory loss in the field of photography in Türkiye through a comprehensive, scientific, and institutional approach.

An important long-term goal is to establish mechanisms that will enable all archival material to serve as a source for contemporary production. To this end, the Center plans to develop research grants, artist residency programs, scholarships for emerging photographers, original periodical publications, masterclasses, and various educational initiatives.

BEVFAM operates within the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, yet maintains an autonomous structure in terms of its governance and operations.