Hello! On this page, you can learn all about my work. For assignments and limited edition print inquiries, please email me at ci@cidemi.art. Thanks for stopping by!

Biography

Ci Demi (he/him — b. 1986, Istanbul, Türkiye) is a photographer based in Istanbul. He studied Italian Language and Literature at Istanbul University. At 28, he discovered photography.

Portrait by Efe Özçataloğlu
(December 2024)

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 unaltered and unstaged), his use of colour to convey a “quiet tension” is prominent in his work.

He’s a member of Connected Archives and an affilite of PLATFORM by GAPO.

Curriculum vitae

Books

2025 (To be published) Unutursan Darılmam (No Offence If You Forget, FiLBooks)
2022 Şehir Fikri (Notion of a City, Onagöre)

Awards

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 Images Vevey Book Award 2025/2026
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

Clients

Publications

Harvard Business Manager (Licensing)
Zeit Online (Editorial)
Aposto (Editorial)
Harper’s Bazaar Italia (Licensing)
11Freunde (Editorial)
Der Spiegel (Editorial)
Society (Editorial)
Financial Times (Editorial)
The New York Times (Editorial)
Zeit Magazin (Editorial)
Die Zeit (Editorial)
Kaos GL (Licensing)
Altyazı (Editorial)
Frankie Magazine (Editorial)

NGOs

Better Shelter (Editorial)

Music

Oil Giant (Album cover, Licensing)
Zorlu PSM (Editorial)
Simge Pınar (Single cover)
Deniz Tekin (Editorial)
Sofar Sounds (Editorial, 2015 - 2018)

Others

Première Vision (Licensing)
Reflect Studio (Commercial)

Press

Highlights

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

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

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

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)

Updated: April 29, 2025 14:05

CI DEMI

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