Come Get Your Honey
Turkish-born Samet Durgun documents Queer refugees and asylum seekers in Berlin for his first monograph ‘Come Get Your Honey’. With his deeply intimate portraits he tells personal stories and asks “What if photography is more about listening than seeing?”
Photography Samet Durgun
Before the party, 2020
I am an artist living in Berlin who became German as a first-generation immigrant. I was born in Turkey, and my great-grandparents arrived in the Ottoman Empire (today's Turkey) from the Caucasus as refugees and lived in isolation for generations. I am agnostic, queer, and was raised by a single mother. Even though it was difficult for me to feel at home and safe, I grew a pursuit of life-long self-realization.
Keli in Patricia’s lap, 2020
Self-portrait in Prince Emrah's costume, 2019
“Even though it was difficult for me to feel at home and safe, I grew a pursuit of life-long self-realization.”
View from the 18th floor, 2020
Suryani’s body, 2020
Mother tattoo, 2020
I wanted to express my urge to be understood by telling stories of people I felt close to. A few years ago, I became friends with gender-nonconforming, trans*, and queer refugees and asylum seekers in Berlin. I have a deep respect for people whose identities are so intricate and layered that resilience becomes invisible.
“I have a deep respect for people whose identities are so intricate and layered that resilience becomes invisible.”
With that deep respect, I ask, "what if photography is more listening than seeing?" On a meta-level, this question resists the standard narratives of both LGBTQIA+ and refugee identities. My approach is about looking at each other at eye level. It is also about embracing and appreciating the differences while connecting on similarities, striving to depict individuals in their wholeness while being aware of the limitations of representation. The work reflects my relationships and my impression of their stories. Thus, it is very subjective, after all.
Reflection in Museum Island, 2020
Mirna in her kitchen, 2020
"What if photography is more listening than seeing?"
Backyard flourish I, 2020
About Samet
Samet Durgun uses the question “What if photography is more about ‘listening’?” as a compass to narrate stories. He studied at Bogazici University, Istanbul, and was recently a guest student at the College of Fine Arts Berlin (UdK). Samet is currently based in Berlin.
To see more of his work, visit his website or follow him on Instagram
Samet's first monograph, Come Get Your Honey about his bond with queer refugees in Berlin was published in summer 2021 by Kehrer Verlag and be ordered online here
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