The photographer Sheyla Baykal was a key figure in New York City’s art world from the 1960s to the early 1980s. She documented the downtown and underground art scenes with her vivid photography. Baykal’s work has been somewhat under-recognized until recently.
Penny Arcade, a performance artist, has worked to preserve Baykal’s material legacy. An exhibition at Soft Network gallery offers an exciting look at the dynamic decades of Baykal’s career. Baykal was born in the U.S. and raised in Turkey.
Sheyla Baykal’s visual legacy
She was a sought-after photographic subject as a Ford agency fashion model in the 1960s. Baykal also captured the energy of New York’s art scene with her own camera.
Through family connections, Baykal had access to prominent Abstract Expressionist circles. She photographed figures such as Willem and Elaine de Kooning. The exhibition features a scan from a 35-millimeter color slide of Baykal’s 1973 performance “Angel Jack, Angels of Light” at Theatre for the New City.
It provides a rare and intimate view into the life and work of an artist who skillfully navigated and documented her world.
