on a quest to discover the unseen in an often-seen scene.
on a quest to discover the unseen in an often-seen scene.
My art is on a quest to discover the unseen in an often-seen scene. I enhance and alter the feel of concrete objects and make them look out of this world. The negative space around them is my creative workspace where I paint with light. Using a DSLR and various lighting tools, I aim to cause a re-thinking of what a thing is, to make a viewer see something in an entirely different way, and therefore cause a change in perception.
Born outside the US in Turkey, currently residing and producing art in Reno. My family’s background in architecture might have some impact on how I chose to do photography. The centerpiece of a lot of my photographs is built around structures, buildings and objects. They provide a good base to construct the visual imagery I plan to bring to life. Looking back, aesthetics was a big topic at home. For something to have a visual composition was deemed essential for it to have some value. Antoni Gaudi’s architectural works impressed me and my brother at an early age. There are a lot more cultural references from my youth in Turkey and Europe that shape how I think today when I photograph. It’s a highly visual and aesthetic culture.
It wasn’t until I moved to the US in 2014 that I began to produce my own body of work. I was so moved by the California & Nevada landscapes that I never stopped trying new ways of capturing the visual world around us. I have now become a night time photographer who thrives on the idea of showing the world the surreal side of the most mundane things of life, with the power of light and some imagination.
I’m inspired by DaSilva’s work which led me to some of the powerful and creative women in visual arts, outside of light painting. One of my favorites is Judy Chicago.The scale and power of her work is something that I hope to achieve some day. Her work with smoke bombs and strong dedication to the cause of women’s empowerment thrills me. Another category of art that gets my heart beating is land art. The sun tunnels of Nancy Holt, the spiral jetty of Robert Smithson. It’s impossible not to feel a sense of awe when looking at something like this. The idea of a bleak, empty landscape, transformed by the industry of an artist to become something transcendent, is something I try to emulate whenever I can.
Currently, I’m working towards a lifestyle combining my passion for photography, travel and light painting while recording my journey as an artist and sharing with my audience on Youtube.