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News : Issues : 159 : Sport - Lawrence Grecco’s Photographs of Turkish Wrestlers
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Sport - Lawrence Grecco’s Photographs of Turkish Wrestlers
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|  |  | | by Hans van der Gaarden, in Health & Body , posted 11 December 2004 |
“Kispet” is the word for the leather knickerbockers which are worn by the wrestlers during the traditional Turkish oil-wrestling matches. Photographer Lawrence Grecco traveled to the city of Edmire in Northwest Turkey and shot pictures of the wrestle event Kirkpinar. Apollon Press from New York published these pictures in a sumptuous coffee table book, “Turkish Wrestling.” At every page the reader finds a kispet, above which curves, hairy or not, a shining belly.
In a view short lines the photographer reports, like a kind of Bruce Chatwin in Patagonia, about his journey to this far corner of Turkey, where the wrestle tournament is the highlight of the yearly festival of traditional Turkish cultural manifestations. Considering the event itself, he confines himself to a wry way of reporting the rules of the game and the cultural-historical values.
Not a word about the scent of sweating, heavy oiled wrestlers, the grass, the mud which sticks at the bodies, the tears, heavy flowing because of the olive oil. No pictures of an excited audience, for whatever reason. (Are women allowed to be present?) No pictures of a dignitary who presents prizes and is kissing the champions.With these pictures Grecco marks the wrestlers closely, but probably he wasn’t allowed to enter the arena.
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It seems like he shot the pictures with a telephoto lens from the no man’s land between the audience and the arena.
I assume that’s the reason why the pictures are grained in a large and strange old-fashioned way. Most of the black and white pictures in the book are grey and dark.
The colored pictures look glaringly seventies. Is this photo quality a statement of the photographer or of the publisher?
Or, does it have to do with the no man’s land where the photographer and publisher were situated when they decided to release this book?
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“Turkish Wrestling” is neither fish nor flesh, although the flesh heavily slides from every page. It’s not a photo report of the wrestling event consisting of sharp action shots which document all stages of the game closely. It’s neither a travel story of an American in an exotic country (although Grecco is amazed about the fact that T-shirts and caps aren’t easily available).
It is more a “don’t ask - don’t tell” photo book where the photographer lusciously focuses on well-oiled male torsos in different poses. Eroticism remains unspoken, while the scope and the subject matter clearly refer to it. All fine, but provide high quality and interesting pictures in that case.
Unfortunately the publisher didn’t choose for this. For those who are interested in any aspect of Turkish oil wrestling there is the opportunity to visit the website http://www.kirkpinar
where the fan will find extensive information about Turkish oil wrestling in the Netherlands.
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Comments:
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Re: Re: Sport - Lawrence Grecco?s Photographs of Turkish Wrestlers
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by Jens Garrisonn on 28 maart 2007 | | This ia a beautiful book, the writer clearly doesn't understand what he is talking about and has no sense of history or Turkish culture. It is erotic and sexy precisely because it is so understated. |
Sport - Lawrence Grecco’s Photographs of Turkish Wrestlers
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