Biography:
Asuman Erguney was born in 1976 in Ankara. She graduated from Hacettepe University’s History Department in 1998. She got introduced to photography during ehr college years. Photography classes she took to complete her credits became indispensible part of her life. After graduation, she found herself at the Ankara Photography Artists Association. She began working at Serpil Yıldız and Selim Aytaç’s documentary photography studio. After this, upon seeing a photo taken by Hakkı Üncü’s she started studying the refugees living in Turkey and began to work in this field. She collaborated with the United Nations and the Eurasia Strategic Research Center. Under the umbrella of the Ankara Photography Artists Association, she has completed many works. Her work has mostly concentrated on documentary photographs. She also held a position on the executive board of the Ankara Photography Artists Association. Ergüney continues her career as a History teacher.
Erguney was spart of the works ‘Me Romis Sinom’, an examination of Roma professions in Turkey; ‘Waiting’, frames from the refuge lives in Turkey; ‘Amen’, an exposition of beliefs in Southeastern Anatolia; and ‘Ulus Altındağ Urban Transformation.’
Exhibition: Rec’a/Hope
They are stateless, refugees , asylum seekers , immigrants …
They are from the unjust wars,
From regimes with no built-in morality,
From breaching of rights,
From human rights violations,
Poverty,
Underdevelopment,
Ethnic conflicts,
They are the ones choosing to escape to get rid of the pressure applied to minorities.
They are the ones not protected by the state as citizens;
One persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, political views.
They are the ones who leave their native land far away, ones forced to go to a place they do not know.
The world is witnessing the largest mass refugee movements in history …
From the beginning of the civil war in Syria more than 11 million Syrians have had to leave their homes since in March 2011 and been displaced . Close to 4 million people took refuge in Syria’s immediate neighbors Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan. Since the beginning of 2014 it is recorded that every month more than 100,000 Syrian refugees are being registered in neighboring countries.
Turkey accepting and receiving Syrian refugees whom they call “guests,” opened its doors to 1.7 million refugees with kindness and generosity, and provided basic shelter, protection and support by building camps which can accommodate 275,000 people.
Syria, one of the world’s most dangerous place for a child…
Seeking refuge in other countries to escape the brutal civil war in their country, more than half of Syrian refugees are children. In Syria where 7,000 children have died since the start of the civil war, and 5 million children are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) figures show that close to 2 million Syrian children today are under the protection of another country as refugees. 75 percent of these children are under 12 years old. These children who have lost their homes, schools, cities and most importantly their futures try to live by running away from missiles, rockets, and snipers; others are injured, some maimed. Many orphans are among them, those who have lost one or both of their parents, or who have fathers who were detained, shot, or maimed. These children are fleeing the borders of their devastated country unaccompanied, and are being forced into exile on their own, along these roads which cause even more difficulties.
The only hope for the future of Syrian children; education…
Left forced to survive as a refugees at the beginning of their lives, and being born under the flag of a welcoming country’s flag in a refugee camp rather than in their home country, it’s premonition of the future hopes of their own country for these children. Therefore, education is becoming more important than anything else.
The Republic of Turkey’s government is engaging in the history’s largest humanitarian operation, endeavoring to provide a peaceful environment that will provide safe education, psychological care and support, and a stable future for these children who have had days full of trauma, anxiety and distress.
In the camps governed by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency Administration and in schools where Syrian volunteer teachers work, Syrian refugee children enroll in formal education. Today, thousands of children get access to educational opportunities in accordance with the curriculum in their country. Book, backpacks and school supplies are provided. There are special classes for children with disabilities in schools. Refugee children, despite the difficult conditions in which they live, overcome the problems they face showing incredible strength and flexibility. Many children are maintaining their dreams about the future; one day, the war will end and they will return to their country and continue their lives as doctors, lawyers, teachers, or artists.
Exhibition displaying of the photos of Asuman Erguney, a member of the Ankara Photography Artists Association and a documentary photographer and the texts written by writer Selda Tan Ozdemir aims to create awareness by showing the situation of the refugees and asylum seekers.
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