Kürşat Bayhan is a Turkish photographer and journalist. His project Away from Home tells the story of desperate migrants from Anatolia, working in Istanbul. The rate of migration for Istanbul has more than doubled during the 2009-2010 period due to the city’s economic opportunities and income disparities between the country’s west and east, according to official statistics. The migrants are often so isolated and cut off from their families, their homes and their culture. They also live in bad conditions – mostly, they dwell in single room houses with limited supply of electrics and water. Individual rooms of apartment suites are rented on monthly basis. One room is occupied by 10 people at minimum.
Bayhan’s photos show certain longing, nostalgia, maybe best described with the perfect portuguese word – saudade.
all images © Kürşat Bayhan
For more on Bayhan and his work, visit his blog, and contact him – kursadbayhan@gmail.com – to order his book Away from Home.
