Umbrella, 2016

Alp Sime, one of the leading photographers of his era, reveals in his work the extraordinary nature of the random through his unique way of seeing. An image captured randomly in the flow of daily life is transformed by Sime’s visual language and interpretation. A sense of strangeness that hints at the uncertain and sometimes surprising dynamics of the subconscious is conveyed to the viewer through both familiar and unfamiliar visuals. The photographs, often dominated by black and white, take on a different aesthetic reality through the presence of light. By capturing the interaction between the solitary individual living alone in the city and everything around him, the artist presents what we encounter in daily life—along with all that is living and non-living—as if it were part of an indefinite dream. Although Sime addresses the themes of loneliness, melancholy, and alienated individuals in urban life in his work, he does not present these concepts solely within the framework of sadness; rather, he uses dark humor to remind the audience that they live in an absurd world.