There’s been a recent renaissance in all things James Baldwin. In books like Go Tell It on the Mountain and Notes of a Native Son, Baldwin confronted readers with the harsh realities of racism and homophobia. He lived a peripatetic life: born in Harlem in 1924, later moving to Greenwich Village, then to Paris in 1953. He eventually settled in the quiet Southern French artists’ enclave of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, where his Provençal home welcomed visitors such as Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte. Lesser known is Baldwin’s relationship with Istanbul, a city he often visited during the 1960s to see his friend Engin Cezzar, a Turkish actor. Baldwin wandered the city’s bustling souks and serene temples, captivated by its east-meets-west allure. “Turkey saved my life!” he famously remarked. Marking the centennial of Baldwin’s birth, this exhibition in Brooklyn features travel photography by Sedat Pakay and offers an intimate glimpse into a transformative chapter in the writer’s life. —Elena Clavarino