Virtual exhibit to shine light on pandemic's jarring effect on city life

ANKARA

A photography exhibition focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on cities and urban life will open online on Wednesday.

The virtual exhibition, Emptiness: An Urban Memory, features 40 photos taken by Anadolu Agency photojournalists worldwide between March and April last year.

The exhibition consists of Anadolu Agency photographs chosen by the curator Patrice Vallette and director of Visioncy agency, and among the selection are 20 photographs of New York City taken by Anadolu Agency photojournalist Tayfun Coskun.

"He sees this exhibition as an opportunity to show the social changes given by the emptiness of space," the statement added.

"Social change like the growing appreciation for the many care workers that had to work over hours to save human lives. An appreciation for healthcare workers that took over our thoughts in a way we have never experienced before," it said. "The collection about New York also includes an interview with a healthcare worker to show the constant pressure they had to endure, which hasn't stopped."

Another part of the collection shows the consequences of the pandemic in a more global way. This part of the collection consists of twenty photographs from twenty cities from 4 different continents.

"These photographs have been selected by curator Patrice Vallette of the Visicioncy agency, showing that all the cities have been undergoing the same transformation of emptiness," the statement added.

"An emptiness which slowed down both humanity and the economy. It meant suffering for many because of the change that has happened so quickly, but we found a social connection with each other in a different way," it said.

The exhibition depicts the transformation of cities during the pandemic and enables viewers to understand its social and economic impact worldwide.

Anadolu Agency is the global communication partner for Wednesday's event.