Ci Demi is an award-winning photographer based in Istanbul.
His work focuses on personal psychogeographies of the city.


Şehir Fikri (Notion of a City) is a photobook that is set in an Istanbul where there are no people or languages. The book was published by Onagöre in December 2022.


︎ Get the bookInternational or Türkiye




︎ As seen onBritish Journal of Photography, Booooooom, Maviblau (German), Calling (Turkish), Açık Radyo (Turkish)
︎ PlaylistSomething Is Missing (Spotify)

Unutursan Darılmam (No Offence If You Forget, 2018 - Ongoing) is a photobook project about clinging to Istanbul and rediscovering life after a year-long depression.




︎ Award — Encontros da Imagem: Discovery Awards 2022, Winner
︎ Exhibitions
— Mamut Art Project (2022), Encontros da Imagem (2022)
︎ As seen onCreative Review

Will the World End in the Daytime (Kıyamet Gündüz Mü Gelecek, 2017 - 2019) is a fictional photo-story about the imminent devastating earthquake that is predicted by scientists to take place in Istanbul.




︎ Exhibitions —Les Rencontres d’Arles, Galerie Paris-B, & Jimei x Arles International Photography Festival as part of A Pillar of Smoke (2018)
︎ As seen onHyperallergic



Project Statement

We sense an approaching catastrophe — ecological problems, terrorist attacks, and more dreadful, unidentifiable dangers whose source we don’t know.

This expectancy, almost fate, is real in the case of Istanbul. “Will the World End in the Daytime” is a series about an earthquake predicted by scientists right after the 1999 Marmara earthquakes.

The series searches for eerie signs and scenes in everyday moments in the overpopulated city that could face destruction any second, for which government bodies have never properly prepared it.

Using a conceptual and fictional approach, the work tells the story of the earthquake and its aftermath.


    Call me Ci. I was born in Beyoğlu, Istanbul on July 6th, 1986. I studied Italian Language And Literature at Istanbul University. Following that, I worked for advertising agencies as copywriter and creative director for many years. I was 28 when I discovered visual story-telling. I did music photography and photojournalism for a while, then I decided to devote my time solely on my own stories.
    My work is focused on Istanbul and its personal psychogeographies. Adopting documentary as secondary function, I tell stories using the scenes of my city. My distinct colour palette is a derivation of the look of Italian giallos of ‘70s, and I take clues from the cinematography of classic horror films in my visual language — even though almost all of my photographs take place in the daytime.


Awards & Accomplishments

2023 Shortlist, Belfast Photo Festival
2022 Winner, Discovery Awards, Encontros da Imagem
2022 Nominee, Leica Oskar Barnack Award
2022 First place, "Streets of Istanbul" series category, Fotoistanbul
2021 Shortlist, 212 Photography Istanbul
Features & Interviews

Onagöre Blog (Interview, 2023)
Safelight Paper (Feature, 2023)
Pera Museum Blog (Story, 2023)
Switch Magazine (Feature, Print, 2023)
Hyperallergic (Interview, 2023)
ArtDog Istanbul (Interview, Print, 2023)
Calling #2 (Interview, 2022)
Maviblau (Interview, 2022)
Creative Review (Photography Annual, Feature, Print, 2022)
Yerden Yüksek (Açık Radyo, Interview, 2022)
Decalogue Magazine (Feature, 2022)
Calling (Interview, 2022)
Bant Mag (Interview, 2022)
British Journal of Photography (Feature, Print, 2022)
Booooooom (Feature, 2022)
212 Studio (Interview, 2022)
Der Grief (Feature, 2022)
Yogurt Magazine (Feature, 2022)
The Museum of Modern Art (Feature, 2022)
Bir Kare Bir Anlam (TRT 2, Documentary, 2022)
ERRR Magazine (Interview, 2022)
Art Unlimited (Editorial, 2022)
WePresent (Profile, 2022)
Anywhere Blvd (Interview, 2022)
Urbanautica (Interview, 2022)
Fisheye Magazine (Feature, 2022)
allcitiesarebeautiful (Interview, 2022)
Fotoğraf Konuşmaları (Podcast, 2021)
Nowness Asia (Feature, 2021)
Broad Magazine (Feature, 2021)
Noice Magazine (Feature, 2021)
Kaleydoskop (Interview, 2021)
AnOther Magazine (Feature, 2021)
Ain’t Bad (Feature, 2021)
Trendland (Interview, 2021)
C41 Magazine (Feature, 2021)
Subjectively Objective (Feature, 2021)
this isn’t happiness (Feature, 2021)
VSCO (Interview, 2019)
Istanbul Art News (Feature, Print, 2019)
Fabrika Zine (Feature, Print, 2018)
L'Œil de la Photographie (Feature, 2017)
GUP Magazine (Feature, 2017)
Clients

Zeit Magazin (Editorial, 2023)
Die Zeit (Editorial, 2023)
Kaos GL (Cover, 2023)
Altyazı (Editorial, 2022)
Reflect Studio (Commercial, 2022)
Frankie Magazine (Editorial, 2022)
Zorlu PSM (Editorial, 2018)
Simge Pınar (Single Cover, Editorial, 2018)
Deniz Tekin (Editorial, 2017)
Beaten Fame (Album Cover, Editorial, 2017)
Hasbro (Creative Direction, 2016)
Exess (Creative Direction, 2016)
shopi go (Creative Direction, 2016)
Sofar Sounds (Editorial, 2015 - 2018)
Yves Rocher (Editorial, 2014 - 2016)
Jãgermeister (Copywriting, 2012 - 2014)


Documentation

Current

  • Zamane İstanbulları (Istanbuls Today) at Pera Museum (catalogue), Istanbul, Turkey, December 22nd, 2022 - September 17th, 2023 — Curated by Refik Akyüz & Serdar Darendeliler

Selected

  • 2023 Manzaradan Öte (Beyond the Landscape) / Mixer / Istanbul, Turkey / Duo
  • 2022 Unutursan Darılmam (No Offence If You Forget) / Mamut Art Project, Istanbul, Turkey / Solo, Festival
  • 2022 Unutursan Darılmam (No Offence If You Forget) / Encontros da Imagem, Braga, Portugal / Solo, Festival
  • 2022 Our Dear Friends, Animals / 212 Photography Istanbul, Turkey / Group
  • 2018 A Pillar of Smoke / Jimei x Arles International Photography Festival, Xiamen, China / Group
  • 2018 A Pillar of Smoke / Galerie Paris-B, Paris, France / Group
  • 2018 A Pillar of Smoke / Les Rencontres d’Arles, France / Curated by Ilgın Deniz Akseloğlu & Yann Perreau / Group
  • 2017 Postcards from Tarlabaşı / Pasaj, Istanbul, Turkey / Curated by Giorgio Caione & Christian Oxenius / Group

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