As a first-generation immigrant and queer artist living in Berlin, I've grappled with the question of belonging. I found connection with gender-nonconforming, queer, transgender refugees and asylum seekers in the city, whose intricate identities inspire deep respect in me.
My work challenges the traditional view of photography as merely seeing, proposing that it can be more about listening. I seek to capture people in their wholeness, embracing their differences while recognizing the limitations of representation. My images reflect my personal relationships and impressions of their stories, making them a subjective representation of my own experiences.
Come Get Your Honey
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Featured in
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Ulrich Rüter
“Durgun became a familiar face; someone who did not focus on suffering, repression or voyeuristic displays. Instead, he accompanied those portrayed along their way and to their places of refuge in Berlin, with respect and friendship.”
Maren Lübbke-Tidow
"Here - where the social space cannot be described otherwise than precarious - photography functions like a language that can connect people and communities with one another."
Alona Pardo
"Ranging from close-up shots of his close community of friends, lovers and collaborators to studies of architectural environments that reveal their marginalization, Durgun’s protagonists assume their intersectional positionality with camaraderie, intimacy and respect."
I use the question "What if photography is more about 'listening'?" as a compass to narrate stories. I choose participation over spectating. My works are shown in various venues, including Berlin Museum of Photography. My book, Come Get Your Honey, was published by Kehrer Verlag and featured in various media outlets, including HUCK, i-D Italy, GQ, LFI by Leica, Halle4 by Deichtorhallen Hamburg. I studied in Bogazici University, Istanbul and University of the Arts (UdK), Berlin. I am German-Turkish-Abkhazian, and live in Berlin.
Recent past
- Feature in Pride collection by Inez and Vinoodh, DoubleDutch
- Reverse Portfolio Walk | Samet Durgun x Karina-Sirkku Kurz, DFA (German Photographic Academy)
- Portfolio walk at DFA Tagung (German Photographic Academy)
- Featuring, Philosophy & Photogr.aphy Lab
- NFT drop, misa.art by, Guest Room by Der Greif - Heartfelt
- Exhibition at Rundgang – Open Days of the UdK (Berlin University of the Arts)
- Book talk: Photobook Fair talk, Impressions Gallery, UK
- Essay: #Photography2050 for HALLE4 blog, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, Germany
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