About

 

I was born in Istanbul in 1983. My passion for photography was sparked on my eighth birthday, when I was gifted a camera by my father. My camera became a companion and a third eye through which I saw the world. My love of photography led me to enter the Photography Department of Marmara University Fine Arts School. In 2006 I received a B.A. in photography and, in 2010, I completed my M.A. degree with a thesis on ”The power of photography in the context of the political criticism of communal living.”

My perspective was acknowledged when I was awarded a national first prize in the 2007 National Geographic International Photography Contest, representing Turkey. My photograph then competed internationally and took second prize amongst the participating world contestants in the “People Category” of 2007.

Other honours and achievements include first prize in the 2007 contest of the Turkish-American Association, for my picture entitled “Reflections From Turkish American Friendship” and first prize in the 2006 HSBC Bank contest for a picture named “Different points of View Enrich Our World.”

My first solo exhibition, “Otherselves” was organized in 2007 and represented the humanity of people living with Downs Syndrome. This exhibition was presented at the Barıs Manco Cultural Center and Caddebostan Cultural Center with the sponsorship of Kadıkoy Sifa Health Institution.

Through art, I have attempted to express personal feelings in my photographs. Each passing day and every experience taught me to respect the reality beyond what appears on film. That is why I have shared the experiences of several children’s fight for life in the series of photographs, titled “Not A Game But A Reality.” This series, started in 2008 shows the heroic struggles of the patients of the Pediatric Hematology- Oncology Department of Cerrahpaşa Medical School and their parents. A book from this series was published by KACUV and all profits were donated to The Hope Foundation for Children with Cancer for Family House project.

I branched away from the personal to the physical at the second Young Photographers Festival at Yapı Industrial Center, where I juxtaposed architectural elements in an exhibition named “Street Puzzles”.

The desire to incorporate movement and motion into my work led to the Kargart “Confusion 7” exhibition where I submitted a photograph called “Stage” and in the third Kargart Performance Days / “Body-Joint” Exhibition, where I entered a series of action dance photographs named “GO”.

Selected works are currently on display at Pera Museum in the “EL/LE’’ exhibition and at Halic University’s exhibition named “We Tried.”