Fine Art Photography

The Hidden Shaman is a research-led project exploring a unique subculture in a small village in Western Turkey.

For centuries, this subculture has contained some traces of ancient Turkic belief motives before Islam, which is the current primary religion in Anatolia.

The project uses photography to tell stories of my family history.

It is a homage to their assimilating and fading lifestyle due to intercultural encounters and time.

It is also a tribute to my father and sister, who still reflect the characteristics of shaman guides of their society.

The first shamans were not religious leaders or mystics whose duty was to establish a connection between the spiritual world and the people.

Researcher Kripner says that Shamans were probably humanity’s original specialists.

They combined the roles of healers, storytellers, weather forecasters, performing artists, ritualists, and magicians.

A Shaman is

a Father

The wise, The musician, The hunter, The centre,

The pathfinder

a Sister

The healer, The chanter, The fighter

a Brother

The wanderer

and

a Mother

The binder

In my search for the traces of the hidden shaman in my family,

I directly focused on the practical properties of the shamans, such as leadership and healing, excluding all the spiritual states.

I believe our family is blessed with consciousness, memory, and wisdom.

The project culminated in an exhibition of a series of portraits of my father and sister, which exposed some of their characteristics.

It was accompanied by a collection of images and videos that gave a glimpse of the lifestyle of my family and ancestors.