OLAY

Meaning ‘event’ or ‘incident’ in English, Olay is a powerful chronicle of a tumultuous decade Turkey, tirelessly documented by Emin Özmen. This first book by Özmen is a retrospective of his work to date, recounting the photographer’s homeland in a ceaseless state of turmoil, hit by dramatic events including a failed coup d’état, popular uprisings, natural disasters, political purges, and ongoing military operations. This vivid and fast-paced series of black-and-white photographs is punctuated with moments of calm in the form of meditative colour images and personal texts. Despite the omnipresent tension, a feeling of graciousness and warmth emerges from Özmen’s work, which unfolds into a nuanced and necessary comment on the Turkish state and the sentiments of its people.

‘We are constantly being tossed around between violence and quiet daily life. Turkey gives no respite. Never a week without a drama, never a month without a major event. Olay is a documentation of Turkey, on the brink of violence and grace. Here, nothing is simple, everything intertwines and clashes, the beautiful as well as the ugly, sadness as well as joy.‘

The book is accompanied by a long-form text by the award-winning Turkish writer, author, human rights activist, and ex political prisoner, Asli Erdogan.