ÖZKAN DURAKOGLU

BY JACLYNTRUSS

Özkan Durakoglu Has one of the best, creepiest and most imaginatively constructed websites we have ever seen. You feel as though you have accidentally slipped into the realm of the dark web, with no immediate urge to claw your way out. Eerie music plays in the background as you scroll through an array of haunting, mind-altering images-- at times overtly twisted, interlaced with an occasional burst of colourful mind-bending beauty. As you move from image to image, a small starburst of swirling energy marks every transition, as if it were summoning these impossible images from an otherworldly dimension.

Born in 1976 to a Turkish, working class family residing in Germany, Durakoglu had an early penchant and talent for drawing caricatures and 3D designs and had always been interested in movies, books, comics and computer games in the sci-fi, fantasy and horror genres. The game changed for Durakoglu after purchasing an amateur camera in 2005; there his adventure in photography began, and his love of fantasy and horror took on a whole new life.

Durakoglu quickly found the scope of the things to photograph in his urban residence to be quite limiting. Seeking more freedom of expression, he began to pursue a different path and discovered a form of digital freedom in photo-manipulation. With minor corrections, his images morphed from the real to the surreal, and he never looked back.

“It provided me with a means to make my dreams real, and let me share the images in my head to a larger audience. Photo manipulation slowly began to be my passion and as I learned new techniques, I began to try different things,” says Durakoglu.

Now his techniques for corrections are anything but minor. No only does Durakoglu alter what is real, but he also makes things up altogether.

“I regard manipulation as important because, for example, while an ordinary photograph of a person in the street or sunset can be nice, manipulation gives you a chance to ‘photograph’ things that you can never come across while walking in a city, and that makes the technique quite fun,” muses Durakoglu.

Image manipulation is also wildly inventive. While some of us cannot begin to imagine where he comes up with the ideas for his work, Durakoglu himself doesn’t consider conceptualizing an idea to be the difficult part in his creation process.

“The hardest part of the work here is, I think, not in the imaginative creation, but the application of the manipulation techniques. Even if you are creating an imaginative world here, that world should be created with its rules of physics; the positioning of light and shadows within the space are very important to make the images striking,” explains Durakoglu.

With the exception of a few of his friends, Durakoglu does not believe there to be many people interested in this technique in Turkey, but he does get very positive reactions from people who see his work.

“While not regarding myself as a full-accomplished artist, comments on the difference and exclusivity of my work ensure me that I am on the right path. Still, I can only stay on point by always learning new things, and I am well aware that there is much I can continue to do to improve in my art,” says Durakoglu.

To experience Durakoglu’s magical land of Oz, visit http://www. ozkandurakoglu.com/, This editing wizard will trip your mind with his surreal imagery because, let’s face it, there is never a bad time to have your mind blown.

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