Olgaç Bozalp

The blooming Amsterdam-West area is now hosting the photographer’s double exhibition. On the one hand, the public Mercatorplein square has large billboards of Olgaç’s fun and cheeky series documenting his travels with his father; on the other hand, the Maqam cultural centre focuses on the artist’s more serious series about forced migration, opportunity and childhood nostalgia. Such contrasting subjects and approaches allow the audience to deepen into the Turkish artist’s body of work, which has constantly explored social issues, movement, multiculturalism, as well as his personal experiences.

From India to Oman, to Turkey and the United States, Bozalp has travelled extensively with his father. After many years of being together across the world, the father-son relationship has strengthened and evolved, so the photographer has dedicated an entire series to his dad. But always with his characteristic sense of humour, which plays the absurdity of everyday life and also comments on the traditional family photo albums we all have at home.

At Maqam, however, Bozalp focuses on deeper subjects like migration and lack of opportunity. As an immigrant himself, the artist portrays the harsh realities of those who must flee their home countries to look for a better life somewhere else, even if that means risking their lives and constantly living under discrimination.