Exploring Istanbul Through Emin Özmen’s Lens

“I would call Istanbul my home,” writes Emin Özmen, who was born and grew up in the small town of Sivas, in central Turkey. “I have lived here for decades now but most of the time I could only stay for short periods between assignments.”

“In 2022, I decided to embark on a long-term project about Istanbul, focusing mostly on water and its relationship with the Stamboulian identity,” he explains. “Istanbul is the city of all colors, with all its contradictions and ironies. Carefree, cheeky, and mysterious; Istanbul is a place where everything is possible, while the city is impossible to comprehend. It can take you to a different atmosphere, another realm in the blink of an eye.” Özmen’s new series of images is currently on view at Istanbul’s new Bulgur Palace, and in it, we can see a different, much softer side to his work.

Özmen’s first photo book, Olay, was published by MACK in 2023. The book, described as his “tribute to the people of Turkey who marched for justice,” covers ten years of tumult across his homeland.

In May, Özmen will be hosting the third edition of a workshop in the city, titled “Exploring Istanbul,” alongside photography editor, curator, and educator Cloé Kerhoas. Over the course of six days, Özmen and Kerhoas will guide participants around the city as they shoot a new project in response to the city, with group feedback sessions taking place at the end of each day.

“I am used to photographing emotionally difficult situations in and outside of Turkey, but photographing Istanbul is like a form of therapy for me — an attempt to escape from my own traumas maybe,” Özmen explains. In his series of images, we are struck by the omnipresence of water, and the bright, refreshing shades of blue that are captured in his lens, in stark contrast to the prevalence of black and white images in his debut photobook.

“I have always seen Istanbul as an exceptional city, and I think ‘water’ is what characterizes her best. Opening like a curtain between West and East, it connects and separates.” In one image, we see a group of boys huddled together during a swimming session in the sea. In another, a couple are huddled together, whispering to one another on a ferry as it takes them from one side of the city to another.

“There is something magical about water and the effect it has on us. It soothes, it purifies, it transports us (figuratively and literally), it invites us to contemplate, to play, to share. We can relax, fish, travel, and meet each other. Water is also mysterious, the intimate and the public sphere often intermingle. Istanbul is fortunate to be surrounded by it.

“Seas and straits cross and embrace it. People and animals revel in it, nature often flourishes, and the boats pass by, connecting the shores and the humans to each other. Everything becomes one, a whole that is alternately surprising, mystical, poetic, funny, joyful, and melancholic. It brings people together, beyond differences and cultures, water offers infinite possibilities. A rather universal and rare feeling.”

To join Özmen in Istanbul for a six-day workshop this May, register here. Only a few spots remain.