2018—2024
Web book, March 2026, Self-published
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2023—Ongoing
Long-term story
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March 2025
Photogrepotage
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December 2022
Photobook, Onagöre
June—December 2025
Campaign for Climavore x Jameel at RCA
Portraits
2017—2019
Short-term story
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2015—Ongoing
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His photographs have been featured in prominent publications like Foam Magazine and the British Journal of Photography. Demi's work has been showcased at renowned festivals and venues, including Les Rencontres d'Arles and Istanbul's Pera Museum.
In 2022, his series "Unutursan Darılmam" (No Offence If You Forget, 2018—2024) was selected as the winner of Discovery Awards at Encontros da Imagem photography festival.
Onagöre published Demi's debut photobook, "Şehir Fikri" (Notion of a City, December 2022), an eerie portrayal of Istanbul marked by the absence of people, animals, and language. Inspired by Georges Perec's oulipo novel "La Disparition" (A Void, 1969), the book focuses on the city's haunting essence.
His personal work explores the psychogeography of Istanbul, intricately weaving together intimate narratives of the city's landscape with his own lived experiences. While he adopts a documentarian approach to his images (ensuring they are always unstaged), his use of colour to convey a “quiet tension” is prominent in his work.
Read more: Photographer statement.
Based in Istanbul, he is a documentary photographer whose work is frequently featured in publications such as The New York Times, the Financial Times, and Der Spiegel. He’s a member of Connected Archives and an affilite of PLATFORM by GAPO.
Elle Italia
Libération
Geo
Harvard Business Manager
Zeit Online
Aposto
Harper’s Bazaar Italia
11Freunde
Der Spiegel
Society
Financial Times
The New York Times
Zeit Magazin
Die Zeit
Kaos GL
Altyazı
Frankie Magazine
NGOs
Climavore x Jameel at RCA (Campaign)
Better Shelter (Campaign)
Music
Oil Giant
Zorlu PSM
Simge Pınar
Deniz Tekin
Sofar Sounds Istanbul (2015 - 2018)
Others
Urban Istanbul
Première Vision
Reflect Studio
2026 Unutursan Darılmam (No Offence If You Forget, self-published)
2022 Şehir Fikri (Notion of a City, Onagöre)
Awards
2025 Winner, Fondazione Capri: the Festival of Photography in Capri (17th Edition)
2022 Winner, Discovery Awards, Encontros da Imagem
Nominations
2024 Prix Pictet 2025
2024 C/O Berlin Talent Award 2025
2024 Joop Swart Masterclass
2022 Leica Oskar Barnack Award
Shortlists
2025 OD Photo Prize 2025
2025 InCadaqués Photo Festival Open Call
2025 Verzasca Foto Festival Awards
2025 Images Vevey Book Award 2025-26
2024 Dear Dave, Fellowship
2023 Foam Talent Call 2024-25
2023 Belfast Photo Festival
2021 212 Photography Istanbul
Grants
2018 SAHA, Travel grant for Les Rencontres d’Arles
Teaching
2023 Istanbul in My Lens: Photographing the City, Workshop and portfolio review, Pera Museum
- 100 Fotografie per ereditare il mondo (100 Photographs to Inherit the World) / Mudec (Museo delle Culture di Milano) / Milan, Italy / Curated by Denis Curti, in collaboration with Alessio Fusi & Alessandro Curti / Group
- OD Photo Prize ‘25 / Open Doors Gallery / London, UK / Group
- InCadaqués Photo Festival /
Cadaqués, Spain / Group, Festival
- Unutursan Darılmam (No Offence If You Forget) / Festival of Photography in Capri (17th edition), La storia siamo noi / La Certosa di San Giacomo di Capri, Capri, Italy / Curated by Denis Curti / Duo, Festival
- Verzasca Foto Festival, Notte della Fotografia / Ticino, Switzerland / Group, Festival
- What Makes a Home / Ideal Glass Studios / New York City, USA / In collaboration with Better Shelter / Group
- Italo Calvino 100+1 Yaşında! (Italo Calvino Is 100+1 Years Old!) / Kıraathane / Istanbul, Turkey / Curated by Bilge Bal & Sevil Enginsoy Ekinci / Group
- Love, Peace, and Harmony / ArtIstanbul Feshane / Istanbul, Turkey / Curated by Bengü Gün / Group
- Manzaradan Öte (Beyond the Landscape) / Mixer / Istanbul, Turkey / Duo
- 2022—2023 Zamane İstanbulları (Istanbuls Today) / Pera Museum (catalogue) / Istanbul, Turkey / Curated by Refik Akyüz & Serdar Darendeliler / Group
- Unutursan Darılmam (No Offence If You Forget) / Mamut Art Project / Istanbul, Turkey / Fair
- Unutursan Darılmam (No Offence If You Forget) / Encontros da Imagem / Braga, Portugal / Solo, Festival
- A Pillar of Smoke / Jimei x Arles International Photography Festival / Xiamen, China / Group, Festival
- A Pillar of Smoke / Galerie Paris-B / Paris, France / Group
- A Pillar of Smoke / Les Rencontres d’Arles / Arles, France / Curated by Ilgın Deniz Akseloğlu & Yann Perreau / Group, Festival
- Postcards from Tarlabaşı / Pasaj / Istanbul, Turkey / Curated by Giorgio Caione & Christian Oxenius / Group
Dear Dave, Magazine (Portfolio, 2025) · Nowness (Video essay, 2024) · DPReview (Interview, 2023) · Foam Magazine (Feature, Print, 2023) · Turkey Book Talk (Podcast, 2023) · Creative Review (Photography Annual, Feature, Print, 2022) · British Journal of Photography (Feature, Print, 2022) · Booooooom (Feature, 2022) · WePresent (Profile, 2022)
Interviews
ArtMeant (Söyleşi, 2025) · theMagger (Söyleşi, 2025) · Lenscratch (Interview, 2024) · Raandoom (Interview, 2024) · Ve Diğer İşler (Podcast, 2024) · The Urbanaut Podcast (Podcast, 2024) · Onagöre Blog (Söyleşi, 2023) · Hyperallergic (Interview, 2023) · ArtDog Istanbul (Söyleşi, Print, 2023) · Calling #2 (Söyleşi, 2022) · Maviblau (Interview, 2022) · Yerden Yüksek (Açık Radyo, Söyleşi, 2022) · Calling (Söyleşi, 2022) · Bant Mag (Söyleşi, 2022) · 212 Studio (Instagram interview, 2022) · ERRR Magazine (Interview, 2022) · Anywhere Blvd (Interview, 2022) · Urbanautica(Interview, 2022) · allcitiesarebeautiful (Interview, 2022) · Fotoğraf Konuşmaları (Podcast, 2021) · Kaleydoskop (Interview, 2021) · Trendland (Interview, 2021) · VSCO (Interview, 2019)
Others
La Repubblica (News, 2025) · Rast Magazine (Hikaye, 2024) · this isn’t happiness #2 (Feature, 2024) · Perimetro (Feature, 2024) · photo-letter (Feature, 2024) · Adventure.com (Article, 2023) · Cargo (Feature, 2023) · revue EPIC (Feature, Print, 2023) · Safelight Paper (Feature, 2023) · Pera Museum Blog (Story, 2023) · Switch Magazine (Feature, Print, 2023) · Decalogue Magazine (Feature, 2022) · Der Greif (Feature, 2022) · Art Unlimited (Editorial, 2022) · Fisheye Magazine (Feature, 2022) · Bir Kare Bir Anlam (TRT 2, Documentary, Episode 13 & 17, 2022) · Broad Magazine (Feature, 2021) · Ain’t Bad (Feature, 2021) · C41 Magazine (Feature, 2021) · Subjectively Objective (Feature, 2021) · this isn’t happiness (Feature, 2021) · Istanbul Art News (Feature, Print, 2019) · Fabrika Zine (Feature, Print, 2018) · L'Œil de la Photographie (Feature, 2017) · GUP Magazine (Feature, 2017)
Mentions
Open Doors (Instagram feature, 2025) · Eyeshot Magazine (Instagram feature, 2025) · Dear Dave, Magazine (Instagram feature, 2024) · Polka Magazine (Instagram feature, 2024) · Milk (Instagram feature, 2024) · Yogurt Magazine (Instagram feature, 2022) · The Museum of Modern Art (Instagram feature, 2022) · Nowness Asia (Instagram feature, 2021) · Noice Magazine (Instagram feature, 2021) · AnOther Magazine (Instagram feature, 2021)