B/W MEMORIES

Looking back at my archive from 2019, which I collected almost by accident, I see these photos differently now after moving from Baku to Istanbul. Whether it’s the emotions of someone I know or moments with strangers, these pictures, once unnoticed, now feel like visual “letters” written by them and by me in the past.

Roland Barthes, in Camera Lucida, said that photography is both presence and absence: it shows life but also carries the mark of time. For me, I captured life, but back then, I didn’t understand what it was saying to me. Now, every photo feels full of meaning, bringing me quiet joy, like I’m uncovering messages I didn’t see before.

Archive: 2019-2024.