Whenever photographer Olgaç Bozalp said goodbye after a trip home to visit his family in Konya, Turkey, his aunt and grandmother would slip themselves in front of the window’s lace curtain to watch him leave.
This poignant image is memorialised in Home, Leaving One For Another, Bozalp’s series that is now both a solo show at 10 14 Gallery and a book published by Void. Bozalp’s cultural identity remains a focal point as he approaches emotive themes of migration and its paradoxes, born from his own journey as a migrant.
From Home, Leaving One For Another, by Olgaç Bozalp
The series initially stemmed from a desire to confront the complex question of why someone leaves one place for another. ‘I started this series because I wanted to understand why one person wants to leave and be somewhere else,’ says the photographer. Bozalp then found himself in such a nomadic situation for four years, constantly travelling or staying with others.
The resulting Home, Leaving One For Another comprises documentary images interwoven with staged scenes.
From Home, Leaving One For Another, by Olgaç Bozalp
Together, the works create a striking visual narrative in which Bozalp opens up discussions about forced migration, fleeing dangerous communities and opportunities for migrants. The flowing image compositions echo the theme of movement; as viewers, we are left questioning whether these are moments of arrival, departure, relief or regret.
Particularly powerful are Bozalp’s written memories that bookend the monograph; in a few short sentences, he opens up about his fond childhood moments, unfulfilled expectations and cultural dynamics. As Bozalp explains, the book and exhibition are ‘a culmination of four years of my memories, my observations, my personal experiences and I wanted to share that’.
From Home, Leaving One For Another, by Olgaç Bozalp
From Home, Leaving One For Another, by Olgaç Bozalp
From Home, Leaving One For Another, by Olgaç Bozalp
From Home, Leaving One For Another, by Olgaç Bozalp
Olgaç Bozalp, ‘Home, Leaving One for Another’ is on view at 10 14 Gallery, 10-14 Crossway, London, N16 8HX, until 10 March 2023. instagram.com/1014.gallery
Bozalp's monograph Home: Leaving One for Another, is published by Void.
-
Paul Rudolph's home served as a gigantic 'loom' for an exhibition of Anni Albers textilesItalian textile brand Dedar presented its Weaving Anni Albers collection at the legendary architect’s experimental Modulightor building in New York last week
-
From Bauhaus to outhouse: Walter Gropius’ Massachusetts home seeks a design for a new public toiletFor years, visitors to the Gropius House had to contend with an outdoor porta loo. A new architecture competition is betting the design community is flush with solutions
-
This Portuguese winery looks like it grew from the landscape itselfArchitect Sérgio Rebelo distils the essence of Portugal’s Douro Valley into a new timber-framed winery for Quinta de Adorigo
-
A former leprosarium with a traumatic past makes a haunting backdrop for Jaime Welsh's photographsIn 'Convalescent,' an exhibition at Ginny on Frederick in London, Jaime Welsh is drawn to the shores of Lake Geneva and the troubled history of Villa Karma
-
Maggi Hambling at 80: what next?To mark a significant year, artist Maggi Hambling is unveiling both a joint London exhibition with friend Sarah Lucas and a new Rizzoli monograph. We visit her in the studio
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThis week, the Wallpaper* editors curated a diverse mix of experiences, from meeting diamond entrepreneurs and exploring perfume exhibitions to indulging in the the spectacle of a Middle Eastern Christmas
-
Artist Shaqúelle Whyte is a master of storytelling at Pippy Houldsworth GalleryIn his London exhibition ‘Winter Remembers April’, rising artist Whyte offers a glimpse into his interior world
-
Diane Arbus at David Zwirner is an intimate and poignant tribute to her portraitureIn 'Diane Arbus: Sanctum Sanctorum,' 45 works place Arbus' subjects in their private spaces. Hannah Silver visits the London exhibit.
-
Zofia Rydet's 20-year task of photographing every household in Poland goes on show in LondonZofia Rydet took 20,000 images over 20 years for the mammoth sociological project
-
Joy Gregory subverts beauty standards with her new exhibition at Whitechapel GalleryUnrealistic beauty standards hide ugly realities in 'Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey '
-
Bengi Ünsal steers London's ICA into an excitingly eclectic directionAs director of London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, Bengi Ünsal is leading the cultural space into a more ambitious, eclectic and interdisciplinary space
