1-First of all, I must say that I do not speak English, and I have never understood the crypto/NFT words (i.e OG, airdrop, mint etc) in the beginning.
It really felt like another world to me. I didn't know anything about the language. I was reading and trying to learn every information shared on Twitter for a long time. This took a lot of my time and was the most difficult subject to me.Briefly, when I first entered the world of NFT, I only had confidence in myself and my art.
2-How long have you been in this community?
I did a little bit research earlier but, but my actual first photo listing was on April 10, 2021.
3-Could you say what are some of the pros and cons a photography NFT artist has in this sphere?
When I first entered the world of NFT to Foundation (I started with FND), I observed that there was Only a few collectors were collecting photographs. Until I make my first sale,I felt like photography had no place in the NFT world. On the other hand, there were small number of photographers supportingwith each other and it was incredible. It was like a family supporting each other, gathering together and respect each other. What a family…
4-What types of NFT artworks do you prefer in general?
I don’t have a special preference. I prefer any type of art touches my feelings. It may be a work in 3D or a photo.
5-From where do you get your inspiration from?
I am a Fine Arts graduate. During my art education, my teachers would like to observe the projects they gave step by step. I used to observe and collect data during these implementation phases, alone, intertwined with nature and life…
I used to code all the details of the project I created in my mind with its inputs and outputs. Then I would finish the project in a single breath. In short, my inspiration is life itself… Sometimes the smile of a child, sometimes a rock, sometimes a road…
6-Some of the other areas which you would like to dive into in the future.
I’ve been giving art education to people for years. I've dedicated myself to do my best at what I do and I always try to move to the next level every time. In this process, I always went after innovations. I am sure that the same passion and determination will take me to different innovative fields in the future.
7-The white infinity collection intrigued me so much, could you please share the background of how that collection came to life?
I go on a photography trip every year during the winter times especially when it snows heavily. In 2019, I planned a trip to the eastern part of Turkey. My aim was to be intertwined with nature and endless whiteness. During this trip, I stayed at many cities and I photographed almost every region of Turkey, starting from the west to the east. What impressed me the most was the life in Bingöl (Southeastern Turkey). When I was there, it was snowing extremely heavily and we could only be able to see the roofs of the houses. It was hard and tough…
As we reached the countryside, the eternity of white and the difficulty of life increased. In the countryside, people were using shovels to open the roads that connected their houses with other houses and to sustain their lives. I found the round road (a vicious circle), the theme of my photo serie at that place. By using those small & narrow roads, people take their patients to health centers , take their animals to the forage areas. Briefly, the 'white infinity' collection tells the lives of the people of the region who spend most of the year fighting with snow.
8-If you have to choose between White infinity and Children of Dreams NFT collections what would be your choice?
That turned out to be a very difficult question! I feel like both of my projects are like my children :) Can you put your two children apart from each other? Both of my projects were exhibited at international festivals and received many awards. “Children of Dreams” received the world peace award, which is a very valuable spiritual award for me. The starting point of my “Children of Dreams” project is about the moods of children who had to experience separations caused by wars, destructions and disasters. As I think about the messages and stories that both of my collections tell, unfortunately I cannot distinguish one from the other.
9-Please unveil the mystery behind the ‘Mystery of Cappadocia.’
As it is known Cappadocia is a tourism center of Turkey which is famous for its natural beauty. I know very well that local and foreign tourists who come here are amazed. Cappadocia has been photographed so many times for only its natural beauty. However, I have heard the stories behind Cappadocia's natural beauty and awe-inspiring atmosphere. I started to research different mythological stories of each valley in Cappadocia. I gathered together those fairy-tale-like stories told by the local people and prepared myself to photograph the valleys.
Here I would like to share the myth of a valley with you. According to the myth, the beautiful daughter of the fairy sultan fell in love with a shepherd in Cappadocia. Despite all the obstacles of the fairy sultan, his daughter left her family to get married with the shepherd and they succeded it. As time pass by, they had a child. The fairy sultan, on the other hand, got more angry when he heard this news and sent his soldiers to find the shepherd and his daughter. When the fairy sultan's daughter saw the soldiers coming towards them, she prayed to God not to separate her and her family from each other. At the end of this myth, three of them turned into these three beautiful fairy chimneys and remained together forever.'The 'Mystery of Cappadocia' collection consists of these myths.
10-Any female NFT artists you would like to collaborate with? Anyone you are a big fan of?
I would say Güler Ertan from my country. I love her working principles and we together published a book named 'Turkish Photography from 1960 to the present”. I would like to work with Güler Ertan again.
11-How do you see the NFT sphere developing in the future?
I think that NFT and traditional art complement each other, they are not alternatives. I believe that NFTs and traditional art will rise together and continue to amplify each other. I think that collectors take a different pleasure from physical art and digital art.
12-What are you working on right now? Do you have any upcoming NFT releases scheduled? Is it possible to share any tidbits about those?
I just finished the 'Mystery of Cappadocia' collection. I will start the preparations for the shadow lives collection that I have been planning for a long time. This collection of mine will be an interdisciplinary study. I will try to convey sections from life by using photography and video techniques together.
13-Any message you would like to share on Women's day to the upcoming and underrated female artists in the industry?
We all know that women are in the minority in this space. I believe that the reasons why women can't allocate time to the NFTs are their daily life activities and motherhood duties. I advise new female artists to create their own time and put their art forward with determination and never give up.