OZANT KAMACI

I’m going to write about who is my uncle and who is the photographer. I will be concern firstly my views of him and then talk about his life&work. He is my mother’s younger brother and he is from Turkey however he is living in Toronto about 3 years. He has different biography from other photographers. He is not famous and he is new&fresh in photographer’s era. He has been worked about 13 years in business marketing era with Pepsico company with in different countries. He has been worked in Turkey, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Dubai. He’s been always interested in photography. However photography was hobby for him while he was working in Pepsico. When he was in Dubai, he totally change his mind and made the hard decision for his future. He decided to quit to business era and focus on Photograpy.  And then he went London, ENGLAND to study master about photography. And his photography life is started. After when he finished his study, he went back to Dubai again as a Photographer.

His biography:

Ozant Kamaci was born in Gölcük, 1973. After completing his degree in Chemistry at Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, he began his marketing career at PepsiCo. He moved through the organization from turkey to south africa, to Saudi and finally to Dubai. In 2004, he became the Marketing Director of the Middle East & Africa region, based in dubai. In 2007, he made a radical decision to leave his corporate career and follow his passion, photography. He was accepted into one of the most prestigious art programs at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design.  In 2009 he graduated with an MA in Communication Design. Kamaci prooved to be on the right track as he gained international recognition even before his graduation. His “Pause” series, which examines the unexpected relationship of man, machine, and nature was well-received by the UK art community and Ozant was awarded the the Association of Photographers (AOP) Student Photographer of the Year Award. To date, his works has been exhibited at Paris Photo (Paris), Rotunda Gallery (Dubai) and Lyceum Theatre Gallery (San Diego). In 2010 Kamacı‟s work was exhibited at the much anticipated showcase of the world‟s emerging photography talent at The Photographer‟s Gallery „Fresh Faced and Wild Eyed 2010‟ exhibition, London.

Özant Kamacı, believes that photography is a tool of expression, which allows him to question  and even shape the world we live in . To pause a moment for eternity, or the choice to edit particular images does bring the question of “why” to mind. Furthermore, Kamaci tries to find the impact of photography on one‟s opinion without aesthetic concern, as well as photography‟s intellectual language. He has shared his vision on photography with his students as lecturer at the American University, Dubai. Kamaci currently lives in Toronto, Canada

Ozant Kamaci works:

exhibitions / talks

2012 Mar 20-31, 'Coffee'

Gallery 44, Toronto, ON, Canada

2011 Dec 1-10, Wall to Wall 2011

Gallery 44, Toronto, ON, Canada.

2011 May 27- Jun 19, PHOTOMED 2011

Festival de la Photographie Méditerranéenne

Espace St Nazaire, Rue Joseph Courrau, Sanary-sur-Mer, France.

2011 May 18-31, CONTACT Photography Festival : 'Idea of Nature'

Arta Gallery, Distillery District, Toronto, ON, Canada.

2011 May 5-23, CONTACT Photography Festival : 'Exposed'

The Gladstone Hotel, Toronto, ON, Canada.

2011 Apr 15-23, Photopia 2011

Gallery 44, Toronto, ON, Canada.

2011 Mar 20-26, Renaissance Photography Prize

Mall Galleries, London, UK.

2011 Mar 23, Central Saint Martins Digital Soiree

Central Saint Martins Innovation Centre Gallery, London, UK.

2011 Mar 3-6, The Artist Project UNTAPPED & 3D World Lounge by Sony

Queen Elizabeth Building, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON, Canada.

2011 Feb 4-26, Salon Photo Prize

Matt Roberts Arts Project Space, Vyner Street, London, UK.

2010/11 Nov 26- Jan 08, 'Pause'

Elipsis Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey.

2010 Nov 25-28, Contemporary Istanbul / Elipsis Gallery

Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Center, Istanbul, Turkey.

2010 Aug 28- Nov 7, Art of Photography Show

Lyceum Theatre Gallery, San Diego, CA, USA.

2010 May 14- Jun 6, 'freshfacedandwildeyed2010'

The Photographers' Gallery, London, UK.

contributing artist for Sertac Tasdelen's exhibition:

2010 May 5-31, 'Resurrection des Mannequins'

Portfolio Gallery, Dubai, UAE.

2010 Apr 22-29, 'Interruption'

Rotunda Gallery, AUD, Dubai, UAE.

2009 Dec 3-6, Contemporary Istanbul / Elipsis Gallery

Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Center, Istanbul, Turkey.

2009 Nov 19-22, Paris Photo

Carrousel du Louvre, Paris, France.

2009 Oct 14, Gulf Photo Plus Slidefest

Knowledge Village, Dubai, UAE.

2009 Jul 9-21, Art Oasis 2009: 'A Green Vision'

Wafi, Dubai, UAE.

2009 Jun 20-26, Central Saint Martins MACD, 'Final Degree Show'

Candid Arts Gallery, London, UK.

2009 May 27- Jun 5, Association Of Photographers Student Awards (winner)

AOP Gallery, London, UK.

2009 Feb 26-27, Central Saint Martins MACD, 'Work In Progress Show'

Shoreditch Townhall, London, UK

Photographic Works

PAUSE & PAUSE M

In ‘Pause’, the work depicts the juxtaposition of powerful machines which are symbols of advancement and technology against nature which is widely accepted as precious and untouched. The medium of photography provides a visual dichotomy of reality and illusion through the aesthetics of plane and tree and their spatial relationship. Planes behind trees as individual objects are familiar and common, but when combined and interrelated, the viewer moves to a new space to behold the unexpected.

LANDING

'Landing' is an exploration of the human connection to landscape and machines. The series depicts a visual interruption of the pastoral landscape. Man observes the machine in admiration and awe.The medium of photography captures the interruption on two levels: the interruption of the descending plane across the untouched pastoral landscape and the interruption of man’s admiration of the machine as more akin to the admiration of nature or creation versus a manufactured object.

HOPE

'Hope' is part of a collaborative work with Mainliners, UK based organization with the mission "to improve the quality of life for people affected by drug use and the spread of blood borne viruses by changing and preventing risk taking behaviour with dignity, empathy and insight”.

 COFFEE

'Coffee' is a series of work that explores the random coffee grounds on a cup forming an aesthetically meaningful whole through the medium of photography. The individual grounds do not reflect a narrative but their integration literally constructs our view of it.

The coffee grounds are fixed to the cup and flattened by means of photography, just as shadows are fixed to a photographic paper. They reflect appearances revealing connections between the individual self and the world via the traditional Turkish coffee cup reading. It is a tradition embedded in the culture that draws a fine line between belief systems, faith and community, as much as it does between emotional versus rational.

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