Image by Olgaç Bozalp from their book Leaving One for Another
Photography by Olgaç Bozalp
Writing and Photo Editing by Ari Adams
Immigration has been the focus of countless photographers’ lenses since the early days of the art form. From Jacob Riis’ reform-minded images of the squalor living spaces of recent immigrants to New York City at the turn of the twentieth century to the world shaking images of drowned two year old, Alan Kurdi—whose body washed ashore near Bodrum, Turkey after his family's fatal quest to flee the Syrian Civil War—photographs focusing on the lives of immigrants have helped shape public opinion regarding government accountability and policy regarding the crossing of borders. These images, however, live well within the world of journalism as do many other world-famous images of immigration and immigrants.
Image by Olgaç Bozalp from their book Leaving One for Another
In his new book, Leaving One for Another, Turkish photographer Olgaç Bozalp strays from the pack and adds elements of artistic direction, fashion, still life, and landscape photography to tackle the topic of immigration. Selected as one of Foam Talent’s 2022 cohort, Bozalp’s images confront the reasons why people migrate “whether it be forced displacement in communities witnessing an uprising of gentrification or fleeing places of conflict, or simply in search of new opportunities,” writes Void, the publishers of Bozalp’s book.
Image by Olgaç Bozalp from their book Leaving One for Another
Bozalp’s images often contain the presence of multiple humans but, in this book, rarely exhibit their faces. His subjects are often depicted facing directly away from the camera, have their face covered by clothing, or blocked by the belongings they carry, the images feel as though the subjects have been told to leave and never come back. Naturally, the emotions of the subjects are ambiguous and body language is used to imply bright or dark futures for the subjects. But the images also suggest a more nuanced criticism of the status of immigrants as interchangeable members of an invisible class.
Image by Olgaç Bozalp from their book Leaving One for Another
Motorcycles and vehicles are as common as humans in Bozalp’s book and the photographer seemingly treats them like characters in the immigrant story. They can be seen destroyed, carrying weapons or personal belongings, and covered in flowers. The book recognizes the vehicle as not only a form of transportation but as a multi-faceted tool that can be used to start a new life or end one. An image from the book of an electric-bike covered in red and white roses cryptically implies either a congratulatory and thankful appreciation of the vehicle as one that has provided new life to its owner or a somber memorial to an owner whose life the bike may have taken. This image is juxtaposed with a much less ambiguous image of a motorcycle carrying a mountain of guns, implying the use of vehicles to transport tools of war which in turn influences global migration and refugee crises.
Image by Olgaç Bozalp from their book Leaving One for Another
Bozalp’s images confront topics of immigration, war, wealth, fashion, and transportation. In doing so, Bozalp has set himself apart in the visual conversation surrounding any of these individual topics by finding a balance and connection between them all. His book, Leaving One for Another, can be bought on Void Publishing’s website, here. You can find more of Olgaç’s work on his website and Instagram.
