CEMRE YESIL

PHOTO-PERFORMANCE

blowback

This series was produced during an artist residency in New York. I photographed in Times Square which is always full with people from all around the world, often with their loved ones. Exploring the loneliness in couples who are not alone was my way to deal with my own loneliness and it was also a blowback from my camera which was directed to a parallel creation with my conflict of being at home and being far away. Performing artist Gulce Oral performed a piece with the prints of my photographs on the pavement I took the photographs.
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I always have a great appetite for leaving to a far far land. Then, after I arrive to that far far land; just when I start to consume my first excitement of being alone in a new land, I feel lonely and begin to miss ''home'' even though I don't exactly know what ‘home’ means to me. I guess what made me shoot this series was me, trying to find the answer to it.

installation view in SVA Gallery, New York. 2011

today's souvenir

This photo-performance involved a portable trolley, a photo printer, a back drop and a sign that says ‘free photography’. The first performance took place in Istiklal street in 2010. The second one was in Rumelihisarı in 2013. I took portraits of people who wanted to be photographed and I gave the prints of the portraits to the sitters as a souvenir of the day.