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Renowned American photographer Steve McCurry praised the people of Gaza for their “resilience and fortitude,” saying they continue to “push forward and be as positive as they can despite the hardship.”
Speaking to Anadolu Agency in Istanbul, where his new exhibition "The Haunted Eye" is on view, McCurry said the Gazan spirit reminded him of the strength he once captured in his iconic 1984 portrait "Afghan Girl."
McCurry said that, although foreign photographers are not allowed to work in Gaza, he has been deeply moved by the images emerging from the region. “If there’s a connection between the 'Afghan Girl' and Gaza, perhaps it’s the same look of resilience and sense of fortitude,” he reflected.
The exhibition, which made its world premiere at the Tophane-i Amire Culture and Arts Center in Istanbul, is part of the Istanbul Culture Route Festival, supported by Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. McCurry described it as “a pleasure to return” to a city he has visited for nearly five decades.
He credited French curator Anne Morin with the exhibition’s concept. “She’s gone through my archive in a very deep way and come up with this very interesting approach to my work,” he said. McCurry added that the show presents his photography from a broader angle, highlighting its creative direction and unique design through innovative lighting and display techniques.
Morin said curating McCurry’s vast archive required patience, noting that “you have to wait until the archive tells you what to do.” Over time, she said, “the pictures begin to speak,” revealing patterns that show how McCurry perceives and reflects the world.
Reflecting on his career, McCurry said he first traveled to Asia in 1978 and kept returning “probably a hundred times,” drawn to the region’s stories and people. He underlined that photography serves not only journalism but also human memory: “Having a record of who we were, how we looked, the way we lived—it’s fascinating to go back and see pictures from 150 years ago and understand what life was like.”
He added that today’s globalized world has erased many of the visual differences that once defined people’s clothing and cultures. For him, photography preserves these vanishing distinctions for future generations.
McCurry said he does not plan to stop working, calling photography an inseparable part of his life. He hopes his archive will offer “some insight into what life was like—how people related to each other, to animals, and to the planet.”
He also recalled his long friendship with the late Turkish photographer Ara Guler, whom he visited on each trip to Istanbul. Describing Guler as generous and full of wisdom, McCurry said the Turkish master always shared advice on where to go and what to see in Türkiye.
Curator Morin described McCurry as “not just a photojournalist but almost an artist,” using photography “as a painter uses a pencil.” The exhibition, she added, reflects “a portrait of humanity for many years,” with Istanbul as its emotional anchor.
"The Haunted Eye" includes 25 of McCurry’s best-known works, among them the "Afghan Girl," along with 160 previously unseen photographs. It will remain open at the Tophane-i Amire Culture and Arts Center until Nov. 30 as part of the eighth edition of 212 Photography Istanbul.
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