Yigit Gunel

Growing up in a separated family, I always searched for a place where I could be alone with myself and dream. At first, I hid above wardrobes, under beds and tables, or inside cupboards where I could fit comfortably. But it never took long for my mother or grandmother to discover the little worlds I had built for myself, places where I could hide and quietly watch the outside world.

The only darkness I was never afraid of was my father’s darkroom, with its smell of chemicals and sense of magic. For many years, I wandered in search of that same feeling. Eventually, I found another room, one with a tiny hole through which I could see the world around me while remaining alone with my thoughts.

Today, I am still looking out from that small hiding place, watching, learning, and trying to understand people, society, and the relationships between them.

Bilgi University / Visual Communication Design / MFA
Anatolian University / Journalism

2026 Capital of Loneliness, Bursa International FotoFest, 2025 Selfhood, Versus Arts, London, 2025
2015 New Photography / Alan Istanbul
2012 34 Women 34 Portraits / Antalya Film Festival, Izmir, Istanbul, Bursa, Eskisehir, Izmit
2011 Photography Today / Istanbul Photography Museum
2003 Hands of Grease – Ege University
2001 Hands of Grease – Anadolu University
2001 Act – Anadolu University