Inspired by the renowned Shakespearean inquiry, this project considers immigration as a vessel that leads the subject to the possibility of building a better life.
The project considers the flow of migrants from Iran, many of whom stay in Turkey pending resettlement. Iran is under severe economic duress, a situation intensified by its tumultuous relationship with Western powers, as well as its domestic multi-million-dollar corruption cases.
Annually, a limited number of Iranians can afford to file for legal immigration to countries such as Canada. In addition, thousands of students leave Iran to pursuit higher education in the West. However, there are many others in a larger pool of migrants—such as political asylum seekers and religious minorities—that stay in Turkey indefinitely. This project focuses on two aspects of immigration: 1)the experience of leaving, and 2)the act of arriving. Within this, we take the special interest in migrants whose civil rights have been overlooked because of their individual beliefs and preferences.
Khashayar Javanmardi (Kjavanmardi), a self-taught photographer born in 1991, Iran then based in Istanbul in 2016. He educated Art and Architecture from Guilan University, he began working professionally in the Iranian press at the age of 19, at the Jam Photo Agency. At the age of 24, he got three years in a row The Iranian Emerging Talented Photographer of the year.
Website: kjavanmardi.com
