Photo © Cansu Yıldıran
Portrait - NOMINEE: Cansu Yıldıran
Shelter
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The geography where I am used to be considered to be the bridge between the East and the West up until a while ago. Now, it’s more Middle Eastern. I believe this was triggered because of post-2000s’ changing political climate as well as war and migration in the Middle East. These changes all coincided with the development and self-exploration of Generation Y which I am a part of.
As this situation affect people’s living spaces, the development process which the Generation Y goes through is also affected. Those who belong to this generation grow up in a more conservative way in Central and Eastern Anatolia, while a whole different story goes on in the West. The west of the country has a diverse population because of heavy migration from the East that is caused by war and economical problems.
Eventually this situation becomes a major factor in having an identity crisis for people of Generation Y in the West. Many people from different cultures and backgrounds migrate to the same place because of different social reasons to seek a new life by adapting to it. They carry their own backgrounds and culture with them to the place they migrate. They form a new life with the people they feel relevant to in terms of their own mindset, culture and identity.
So, I wanted to talk about the stories of groups that were marginalized because of their sexual identities and lifestyles among the groups that could be counted as an community. One of the basic reasons for this is that I do feel as close to these communities as ways of thinking, feeling and living.
From an external perspective, the most basic concern of these groups, which are considered as utopically 'other', is to exist. The right-wing conservative lifestyle, which encroaches upon increasingly habitable areas, and the consequences of political power lead these groups and identities to further close in. There are many justifiable reasons for this, from subconscious to social alienation to lynching.
About author:
Since I took my mother's camera at 5 years old, I have been passionate about exploring around and documented what I see from my perspective. Over the years this interest has intensified especially on issues such as gender, cultural identity and discrimination. Because living in Turkey sometimes brings the feeling of caught between East and West values. Especially Y generation have faced hard times between Middle East and Europe at technology age. These people between traditions and secularism seek their answers about life. According to me, I have a chance to explore both East and West values and embrace a lifestyle by mixing them together. Every city I lived has different traditions, conservatism levels and understandings. This chance also brings the feeling of being stuck. I went on a journey to make sense of these two phenomena. In my first series "The Dissaposed" I deepened on my roots and I made shots in Trabzon, Blacksea region. I tried to reveal the inequality of men and women in this society. At my second job, "Shelter" I worked on a part of Y generation in Istanbul who are affected from both westernization and political atmosphere in Turkey. While they are breaking down sexual and cultural taboos, they have created new lifestyles and established spaces where they can live freely. However, these areas exclude them from the society and become their "shelters". Both my works published on prestigious media channels such as British Journal of Photography, Dazed and also exhibited at various museums and photography festivals. At this point, I continue to explore with the excitement of being at the very beginning of the road and making my voice heard.
As this situation affect people’s living spaces, the development process which the Generation Y goes through is also affected. Those who belong to this generation grow up in a more conservative way in Central and Eastern Anatolia, while a whole different story goes on in the West. The west of the country has a diverse population because of heavy migration from the East that is caused by war and economical problems.
Eventually this situation becomes a major factor in having an identity crisis for people of Generation Y in the West. Many people from different cultures and backgrounds migrate to the same place because of different social reasons to seek a new life by adapting to it. They carry their own backgrounds and culture with them to the place they migrate. They form a new life with the people they feel relevant to in terms of their own mindset, culture and identity.
So, I wanted to talk about the stories of groups that were marginalized because of their sexual identities and lifestyles among the groups that could be counted as an community. One of the basic reasons for this is that I do feel as close to these communities as ways of thinking, feeling and living.
From an external perspective, the most basic concern of these groups, which are considered as utopically 'other', is to exist. The right-wing conservative lifestyle, which encroaches upon increasingly habitable areas, and the consequences of political power lead these groups and identities to further close in. There are many justifiable reasons for this, from subconscious to social alienation to lynching.
About author:
Since I took my mother's camera at 5 years old, I have been passionate about exploring around and documented what I see from my perspective. Over the years this interest has intensified especially on issues such as gender, cultural identity and discrimination. Because living in Turkey sometimes brings the feeling of caught between East and West values. Especially Y generation have faced hard times between Middle East and Europe at technology age. These people between traditions and secularism seek their answers about life. According to me, I have a chance to explore both East and West values and embrace a lifestyle by mixing them together. Every city I lived has different traditions, conservatism levels and understandings. This chance also brings the feeling of being stuck. I went on a journey to make sense of these two phenomena. In my first series "The Dissaposed" I deepened on my roots and I made shots in Trabzon, Blacksea region. I tried to reveal the inequality of men and women in this society. At my second job, "Shelter" I worked on a part of Y generation in Istanbul who are affected from both westernization and political atmosphere in Turkey. While they are breaking down sexual and cultural taboos, they have created new lifestyles and established spaces where they can live freely. However, these areas exclude them from the society and become their "shelters". Both my works published on prestigious media channels such as British Journal of Photography, Dazed and also exhibited at various museums and photography festivals. At this point, I continue to explore with the excitement of being at the very beginning of the road and making my voice heard.