Turning off the Conscious Mind
This post is all about my latest trip to Turkey, quite a personal one. A lot of family moments and a glimpse of my yet-to-be-named, ongoing photography series portraying Turkish Artists in their studios.
Being far away from home makes me think a lot about how I can connect with the life I left behind, especially from a photography standpoint. In a country polarized to its core, losing my sense of belonging day after day, I choose to hold onto the people I love, memories, and the small community I was raised in, transforming them into silver crystals. This is my way out..
All photos are Tri-X at 800 developed in XTOL 1:1, 10:30mins at 21°C, shot mostly with Leica M6 and the square ones with Rolleiflex 2.8F
Visit to Arte Istanbul
Home studio of long time family friend, artist Yunus Tonkuş
Working on a statue of Oğuz Aral, a legendary Turkish cartoonist
The series will be displayed on the streets of Kadıköy, the liberated area of today’s İstanbul
Final touches on Avanak Avni, Aral’s most remarkable cartoon character
Behind the scenes
Reminiscing
Happy times when I had no idea my Rollei had a misaligned focusing screen
Minnoş, the reckless host
Ufuk
Deniz
I admire how he starts giggling two minutes after he wakes up
Winter remains
Into the roots
Wandering streets of Karaköy
When the cab driver rejects to take you to Galata
One fell down
Time out
The whole city turned into a massive construction site
The one thing that doesn’t change
A metaphorical masterpiece
Nothing beats the joy of nerdy gear talk with this man
Off to Eskisehir, long awaited meet up with my sister
Picking up exactly from where they left off, Mustafa Abi & Rüzgar
Heirloom t-shirt that passed down generations of our family travelling all around the world, and now it’s coming home
Planting the seeds
When you realize you locked yourself out
Late night at the kitchen
Accidental double exposure
Stopped by at Sivrihisar for visiting Metin Yurdanur‘s open-air sculpture museum set on the foothills of the rocky mountains.
Some familiar faces welcome us. Remembering Ali Dinçer.
Abidin Dino
And Berfo Ana
FYI
Visit to Ali Kotan’s studio, Ankara
For some reason, I always have a sympathy for artists who refuse to move to İstanbul
Behind the scenes
A tribute to Gezi
Suburbs of Ankara
Wandering around the castle
Fooling around with dad at Erimtan Museum. Can you spot him?
Moments like this make me question many decisions in my life
Limited edition
The gang is ready for the aspirin bubbles experiment
Failed.. Looks like it’s another Youtube clickbait video they’ve been watching
Relationship status
Reminds me this moment
Setting up the exhibition
Good to see neighbors are doing well, Egemen & Mocha
Front yard drama
Catching up with Kıvanç
The first episode of the series could not be complete without my father, of course.
Turning off the conscious mind
We decided to go for a shoot focusing more on the performance and creative process
My goal was to capture some moments when he’s really in the flow
It’s an essential part of his creative process
A highly focused mental state of being completely present and fully immersed in a task
We picked this one for the press release of his upcoming exhibition
That signature look..
My favourite of the session
Confrontation
Working on his sketchbook
Which turned into diaries over the years
Summary of the session
Behind the scenes
Cousins cracking up
The most photogenic nephew you could have. Never fails me, since the very first portrait I took of him
Acrylic ayran
Same spot, same camera, a very different me from 9 years ago
Messing around with sis
Çınar
Mom keeping things in order
And the moment of the whole trip for me
January 2020, Istanbul
