-Profile- Capturing Human Emotions Wholeheartedly: Buket Ozatay

-Profile-
Capturing Human Emotions Soulfully

Buket Ozatay

(EFIAP/p, R.ISF5, A.ISF, F.ISF, A.ICS, F.ICS, M.ICS, M.USPA, F.SWAN, Hon.SAP, M.SAP, Hon.A.SAP, Hon.FPI, Hon.F.GNG , Hon.F.APF, Hon.FPMP, Hon.GMGNG, Hon.F.TPAS)

Buket Ozatay is a Turkish Cypriot photographer who was born in Nicosia, Cyprus. Her photographs are unique examples of creativity. Her specific vision has given her a distinct identity. Though we can witness varied subjects in her pictures, she seems in special love for capturing human emotions. Her human life pictures are full of emotions.

She studied business management and marketing in the United States of America before completing her MBA degree in Cyprus. She has an associate degree in Photography and Filmmaking from Anadolu University. Since 1995, she has jointly run her family company Ozatay Photography with her brothers and is regarded as the first contemporary female photography entrepreneur in the history of the Cyprus Turkish photography. Özatay has produced and presented the television programme “Buket Ozatay and Photography Enthusiasts” for the BRT TV in 2014-2015. Since 2015 she has been giving basic photography and photoshop lessons at two different Municipality Social Activities Centres.

Ozatay works include collages, abstract, creative, documentary, portrait, travel and street photography and have been widely published, some as cover pictures, in books, magazines, newspapers, catalogues and brochures or online.

Ozatay is the first female Turkish Cypriot photographer to win award at international photography competitions held by PSA and FIAP. Her photographs have been exhibited nationally and internationally in more than 80 countries on five continents, in international photo competition exhibitions, festivals, fairs, galleries and biennials and she have received many awards.

She received the title AFIAP (artiste) in 2014 and EFIAP (excellence) in 2015; EFIAP/Bronze in 2016; EFIAP/Silver in 2017; EFIAP/Gold in 2018, EFIAP/Platinum in 2019 from FIAP. She is the first Turkish Cypriot Photographer and the first Cypriot Woman to win the EFIAP/platinum title from FIAP.

She has been organizing a national photo competition and exhibition since 2009 yearly in memory of her late journalist and photographer father. The Oztan Ozatay Photo Competition and Exhibition is the most popular in Northern Cyprus, attracting record number of high quality photographers and the highest volume of entries.

In 2014, she opened the “Exotic Morocco Exhibition” South and North Nicosia Cyprus.

In 2015, she opened her first solo Exhibition ‘’The Sky Walks With Me’’ in North Nicosia. Over the years ‘’The Sky Walks With Me’’ was also exhibited all over Cyprus and in some other countries. Her exhibition focused on the North Nicosia Central Prison Women’s Ward (Behind the Bars). This exhibition is the first documentary photography work on prisons in Cyprus.

In April 2019, within the framework of establishing a wide and informative spectrum of the visual arts in North Cyprus, the Cyprus Modern Art Museum at the Near East University opened the solo exhibition of Buket Özatay. She was given “İbni Heysem” Award.  Moreover, a bust of Buket Ozatay was unveiled. As a result she became the first Cypriot Photographer whom bust was unveiled. Her bust will be exhibited alongside her work at the Cyprus Art Museum. 

In June 2019, she opened another exhibition called ‘Easy Life’ which is about construction workers’ everyday life.

--Dr. Pankaj Sharma