From one place to another: images of migration – in pictures

Photographer Olgaç Bozalp talks through a selection of images from his project Leaving One for Another, published by Void. Combining documentary style with constructed imagery he explores the journeys and disparate causes of migration, drawing on his own experience.

‘People’s desire to move from one place to another has always fascinated me, both on a political and personal level. I started this series to explore the reasons why and see how they measure to those of my own’

Photographs by Olgaç Bozalp

Main image: Mobiletim, Istanbul, December 2018. Photograph: Olgaç Bozalp

Mon 7 Nov 2022 19.01 EST

  • Konya Boys, September 2018

    I wanted to turn what we think of masculinity and femininity on its head, I wanted to challenge the notion of what it means to be a man or woman. In this instance, to counter the female symbol of the burqa I added the motorcycle as it is a male-associated symbol. How the viewer wants to interpret it is entirely dependent on their own view of the world

  • Istanbul, December 2018

    There was a terrible storm that day and this installation would not stay up from the harsh winds; I could only take two or three photos. Mother Nature made us even more empathetic

  • Istanbul, December 2018

    This was one of the first images I took for the book. Since it was raining that day we couldn’t get enough people to show up for the shoot so I ended up shooting the entire crew instead. No one knew each other but the shoot and the conditions made everyone bond. The image speaks to unity

  • Mobiletim, Istanbul, December 2018

    This motorbike, or at home we called it ‘Mobilet’, was inspired from my trip to Indonesia. How they carry their business or their families, the vehicle also symbolises how people view you. The motorbike serves so many different purposes beyond getting from one point to another

  • Flag, Istanbul, December 2018

    The flag photo embodies all the countries, at least one of these colours are in every country’s flag. We shot on the water to serve as another means of travel; leaving or arriving

  • South Korea, February 2020

    Seeing remnants of things left behind or half-buried made me think about the things I had to leave behind when I left home, so I started documenting them wherever I saw them

  • Barış, Istanbul, October 2021

    This is a self-explanatory image. How many times have we seen people in this position?

  • Ajans, Istanbul, October 2021

    You can see painted on the front reads ‘Hurdaci’; these are men who walk the streets in Turkey selling objects they found or have been given by people who no longer want them. He finds a new home for them

  • Uzbekistan, May 2019

    I was travelling from Bukhara to Tashkent and found this house to be ‘in-between’; I couldn’t tell if it was occupied or abandoned. I wondered if it had been destroyed or just crumbled over time from neglect

  • Sunrise, Istanbul, October 2021

    This is the last photo of the series after four years. This image was more personal to me because the sunrise means we are all given a new day, a new beginning. The foil blanket represents comfort after reaching a new destination. It felt apt to end the series on this noteLeaving One for Another is published by Void (€45)
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