In this exhibition, Murat Germen focuses on applying the vertical perspective—the dominant visual language of our time—to the Istanbul metropolis, in contrast to the linear perspective based on a horizon line and fixed ground that supports the development of the West. Vertical perspective is achieved through technologies such as satellite imagery and drone footage. The aim here is to remap Istanbul as both a historical center and a constantly monitored and expanding area, using the multiple vanishing points and the concept of groundlessness created by this new perspective.

The works in the exhibition can be grouped into four subheadings: In terms of scale and hegemony, the viewer is confronted with the city’s physical boundaries and its geographical extent. The high-altitude perspective of aerial photography shows the chaotic spread of the city, contrary to the Western idea of linear progress. The horizontal perspective often overlooks a city’s form, but high-altitude photographs reveal its expansion. This shatters the illusion that the city is within reach or measurable distance. Secondly, drone photographs are used to highlight the concentration and infrastructure complexity in a specific environment, visualizing how the vertical view divides areas and even society into layers. Thus, while rejecting the concept of a particular, static ground, Istanbul can be seen as a constantly changing, temporary moment with its waterways and transportation networks.

In the context of surveillance and new urban areas, Germen examines the concept of the Eye of God by focusing on large public spaces in city centers and the traffic and population density around historic buildings, showing that the vertical gaze creates a hierarchical structure from the upper to the lower. Thus, the concept of ground, which is indispensable to political strategy, can be questioned through the representation of planned squares in drone photographs. Finally, on the subject of mass and infinity, the artist confronts the viewer with visual manipulations, questioning the nature of the new visual structure created by the vertical perspective. Mathematical renders, in which forms are sacrificed for infinity and mass, are concretized as minor planets, and this technique eliminates dualities such as subject-object and time-space, opening up alternative conceptual possibilities.

Beyond showcasing Istanbul’s beauty, Ground_less is a visual investigation of the city in the context of contemporary art and cultural history, addressing perspective, surveillance, militarism, and the proliferation of megacities. The technical capabilities offered by drones and aircraft reveal the geographical reality beyond the city’s superficial life. The exhibition also shows the viewer that Istanbul is a planet that is curled in on itself, controlled, and expanding without limits.