Page 5 - APH_Feb21_Special

RUNNER-UP
PEOPLE
HER
1.Julie Thomas
2. Cihan Bektas
3. Tracy Botica
4. Tracy Lees
4. Jill Velinos
6. Cihan Bektas
7. Deborah Cummings
8. Matthew Gedling 9. Bec Lowe
10. Tracy Botica
10. Katy Bindels
10. Adam Richmond 10. Jill Velinos
14. Balazs Toth
15. Carole Mills Noronha 16. Anthony Lawrence 17. Jodie Stallard
17. David Mierowsky 19. Anthony Lawrence 20. Mariana Zilbershteyn
PEOPLE CATEGORY TOP 20
SPONSOR
CIHAN BEKTAS
cihanbektas.net
Cihan Bektas’ ethereal tribute to his wife was made over a period of three years, with images shot on a polaroid camera. There’s no ma- nipulation, no staging and no post-production in the series, which seeks to explore Bektas’ wife’s schizophrenia by documenting and try- ing to ‘control the nervousness, irritability, self-harming and even suicidal behaviours acquired in momentary personal disorders caused by the illness.’
At first glance it’s a troubling, dark and moving series, made all the more remark- able when you consider that all the moments here were captured candidly. In total, he says more than 220 polaroid films were used to capture the series.
WHAT THE JUDGES’ SAID
DREW HOPPER: The surrealism and dream-like visuals in Cihan’s series evoke a sense of undefined beauty in the pur- est form. When we stop and look closer, we see through the images and start to feel the meaning within them, which is a powerful thing. The originality that comes from the Polaroid picture makes this emotive series really stand out.
| 23 | FEBRUARY 2021 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM