The portraits of Ozbek's series "IN" are drawn from emotive memories and thoughts the artist carries about his inner circle of friends. The photographs in this series are looking to illustrate introspective portraits that focus on the subjects' multilayered identity. Each portrait, splitting the scene from outer self (top) and inner self (bottom), moves the viewer underneath the observable world into the dark tunnels where the inner self resides. Ozbek's method encourages the viewer to draw conclusions between the person's persona and their memories, baggage, grievances, or turmoil.
Murathan Özbek was born in 1983 in Erzurum, Turkey. Ozbek received his B.A in Economics from Bilkent University, Ankara and M.F.A. in Cinematic Arts, Film and Television Production from Bilgi University, Istanbul. Ozbek was awarded Angels & Demons Contest Grand Prize at the Sony World Photography Awards 2010, shortly after getting started in photography upon receiving a camera as a gift from his mother. Ozbek has held two solo exhibitions; “First Impressions of An Endless Dream” and “IN,” and his artwork was displayed at Contemporary Istanbul 2012. He currently lives in Istanbul.
Awards 2010 Sony World Photography Awards, Angels&Demons Competition Grand Prize
2011 Boyner Award, Turkey
