Fathom

In Turkey, the escalating violence, oppression and policies enacted to disregard LGBTIQ + existence, and the hate crimes experienced by LGBTIQ+ individuals are increasing daily, at the same rate.

There is no regulation in the laws to punish discrimination and human rights violations against LGBTIQ + individuals. LGBTIQ + individuals are pushed to suicide and are made vulnerable to hate crimes due to many factors encouraged by the state; such as the inability to take a place in the work force, or pressures put on by their families.

Via staged documentary photographs, I took imaginary portraits of LGBTIQ + individuals who lost their lives due to human rights violations and hate crimes, reflected on surviving members of the LGBTIQ + community. With these story, I hope to create an unusual monument. This is because I believe that there is a strong flow between those who were killed and those who survived; those that now carry all this struggle and suffering. Each generation inherits the dreams of the previous generation and lives these dreams that perhaps those who are no longer among us were able to not realize.