Coşkun Aral

Born in Siirt in 1956, Coşkun Aral stepped into his career in press photography in 1974. He gained international fame with his photographs of the bloody May 1st events in 1977. His photos were featured in prestigious magazines like Time and Newsweek through Sipa Press, and in 1980, he achieved an international journalistic milestone by conducting the world’s first interview with hijackers on a hijacked plane. From this period onwards, he acted as a war correspondent in many conflict zones such as Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Northern Ireland, creating a visual memory for the world’s most important news outlets.

In 1986, he started his television journalism career with the "32. Gün" program and reached a peak with the legendary documentary series "Haberci," which he produced and directed. He contributed significantly to Turkish broadcasting history as one of the founders of İz TV, Turkey's first information and document channel, and later Habitat TV. Embracing documentary filmmaking as a way of life, Aral has signed off on a very wide filmography ranging from biographical works to industrial stories, nature documentaries to social memory records, including "Pulse Atlas" and "Legendary Istanbul."

The artist, who emphasizes the power of art to witness social events with exhibition projects such as the refugee-oriented "Exodus" worldwide, has been deemed worthy of many honors in academic and professional fields. In addition to the METU Distinguished Service Award and an honorary doctorate from Süleyman Demirel University, he bolstered his professional prestige with the "Lifetime Honor Award" given by the Turkish Photojournalists Association. In recent years, he has continued to transfer his experiences to new generations by taking an active part in digital platforms with the "Coşkun Aral Tells" brand.

Having set foot in almost every corner of the world from North Korea to Polynesia, Aral defines himself as a "curious dream traveler" and has developed a vision centered on human stories. Today, he continues to produce independent documentaries, give motivational speeches at corporate events, and build a cultural bridge with his rich visual archive. Considered one of the most important opinion leaders bringing world cultures to the Turkish audience like a modern Evliya Çelebi, Aral is both a witness to war and a "flavor hunter."