Murat Yazar's 'Shadows of Kurdistan' Photographic Project
Murat Yazar, a Kurdish photographer born in Urfa, Turkey, has been working since 2011 on a photographic project titled 'Shadows of Kurdistan' to document Kurdish society across Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. The project aims to unify the four divided parts of Kurdistan into a four-volume series. Yazar's work captures daily life, nature, and cultural moments, often in black and white to convey poetic immediacy. He collaborated with writer Paul Salopek in 2014, walking 1,200 km through Anatolia and Kurdistan to Georgia for Salopek's 'Out of Eden' project. Yazar also documented the refugee exodus along the Balkan route in 2014-2015. His project has been exhibited in Paris, Rome, Sorrento, and Quebec, where he won the Photo Journalism award at the Zoom Photo Festival. The first volume on Turkish Kurdistan is set for publication in early 2019. Yazar now lives in Rome.
Key facts
- Murat Yazar began 'Shadows of Kurdistan' in 2011.
- The project covers Turkish, Iraqi, Iranian, and Syrian Kurdistan in four volumes.
- Yazar's photos are in black and white for poetic effect.
- He walked 1,200 km with Paul Salopek in 2014.
- Yazar documented the 2014-2015 refugee crisis on the Balkan route.
- The project was exhibited in Paris, Rome, Sorrento, and Quebec.
- Yazar won the Photo Journalism award at Zoom Photo Festival in Quebec.
- The first volume will be published in early 2019.
Entities
Artists
- Murat Yazar
Institutions
- National Geographic
- New York Times
- Zoom Photo Festival
- Artribune
Locations
- Urfa
- Turkey
- Anatolia
- Kurdistan
- Georgia
- Paris
- Rome
- Sorrento
- Quebec
- Canada
- Greece
- Macedonia
- Serbia
- Croatia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Caucasus
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Syria
- Ethiopia
- Chile