Through new photographic work, Yildiz explores what it means to her work to be made in a different city. Yildiz revisits an earlier project created in 2019 in the streets of the old town of Mardin, Turkey; SELF PORTRAİTS. Replicating her process and methods of capturing light, public spaces at night and her own physicality through photography, this time in Manchester.
Drawing on the impact of a changed environment on her practice, and her experience of adopting new layers to her identity through migration, Yildiz’s work invites audiences to relook at our city. Yildiz inserts herself as both director and subject to craft an artwork which reveals her reflections on connection to place and experiences of expansive time. Yildiz presents her creative practice as a tool to exert control over her new environment and reflects on her use of photography as a methodology to build connection to place and maintain a sense of agency when navigating many new and unfamiliar experiences faced through migration.
Yildiz says “When I first moved to Manchester, everything felt different, and I had to rediscover myself while connecting with this new place. Over time, I found a way to reconnect with my inner self. In Between the Lines, I attempt to connect my past and my future through the spaces I have experienced. As these environments change dramatically, so do I. Through photography and manipulation, I reveal the feelings shaping my inner world and capture this inner journey. I strive to create an aesthetic unity, a visual bond that reflects the evolution of my identity. I see my art as a bridge linking my past, present, and future. I believe that art can help us find unity in diversity. Capturing and conveying the traces of my emotions is my main goal. I hope viewers connect with their own inner worlds and experience deep emotions.”
This new artwork is commissioned and curated for our 2025 Horizons Festival Programme by HOME and Community Arts North West as part of a series of artist commissions created to support Manchester-based artists with lived experience of displacement to make new work. These opportunities are supported by HOME’s Creative Engagement Team.
About Pinar Yildiz
Pinar Yildiz is a photographer originally from Turkey.
Yildiz is part of an artist collective originating in Turkey called 9dokuz dergi, which has been going for many years and is internationally exhibited. Members of the collective are currently working on a project called DUYGU MEKANLARI Spaces of Emotions, an ongoing project across mediums including photography, video, text, and collage and 2 dimensional work.
Two years ago, she moved to Manchester. Prior to this, she spent seven years teaching near the Syrian border in Turkey before founding her company, specializing in photography and graphic design. #
“You can find some of my previous works below. I invite you to explore it and discover something personal that resonates with you, whether it reflects connections to culture, growth, or our collective experiences.”
SELF PORTRAITS (2019) Previously exhibited in Mardin Sabik Sabanci Museum in Mardin 2019.
