Framing Beyond The Wall

• Prize
  Bronze in Editorial/Conflict
• Photographer
  Tijen Erol
• Socials
• Website
  http://www.tijenerolyakup.com/

UN Buffer Zone, ‘the no man’s land’, in Cyprus known also as the Green Line was first established in 1960s and became impassable after the physical and communal separation of the country following the 1974, when a coup supported by the military junta in Greece collapsed following Turkish military intervention. It divides Nicosia from east to west and in some places in old Nicosia it is only a few meters wide (only 3.3 meters apart at the narrowest point). The Turkish Cypriot community lives in the northern part while Greek Cypriots live in the southern part of the UN Buffer Zone. Nicosia is the last divided city in Europe. The history of this city is full of tragedy, fear, tear, conflict and war. In 1974 after the war ended, many people from both communities had to leave their homes and their memories behind and move to ‘the other side’, either south or north, of the country. From 1974 until the checkpoints first opened in 2003, people were unable to cross over to ‘the other side’. Their way of life has changed and they had no access to their houses and their neighbors for 29 years. I have decided to shape my project around the Nicosia section of the Buffer Zone within the Venetian Walls of a circular shape, with a circumference of about 5 kilometers. The city in some ways is a symbol of inseparability and unification as those solid Venetian city walls surrounds and holds it together. Since 1974, even today, only Turkish, Greek and UN military sectors are located inside the UN Buffer Zone. In so many years, the houses and shops became derelict within the Buffer Zone. Today, the Republic of Cyprus (Greek side) is a member of the European Union, while Northern Cyprus (Turkish side) is formally recognized only by Turkey. In this project, I examined the life that continues outside the walls while the people keeping on their daily life, ignoring the existence of the wall.

• Biography
  I was born in Cyprus. I studied Engineering Sciences in METU and MBA in EMU. Mostly self-thought at first, I had formal education in photography on Photography and Camera Operation in Anadolu University. Now I continue my education on Photography and Video in ARUCAD. I have been invited to 4th Biennial of Fine Art and Documentary Photography in Berlin in 2016, Uppsala Fotofestival in Sweden in 2017 and group exhibition ‘Walls of Power’ in Les Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles in 2019. My work has been included to the Imago Mundi project of Luciano Benetton Collection.
• Awards
  I have won awards and exhibited locally and internationally. 2018 - Tokyo International Foto Awards, Editorial-Conflict, Bronze Medal, Japan 2017 - Sille Sanat Saray? Seyit Ali AK Photo Cup (SAAC), 2st Round, Turkey 2017 - Humanity Photo Awards, The China Folklore Photographic Association, 2nd Round Judging, China 2016 - TIFA Tokyo International Foto Awards, Moving images-Documentary, Winner, Japan 2016 - International Photography Awards, Lucie Foundation, Honorable Mention, USA 2016 - Ayvacik Municipality 2th International Photography Competition, GPU Mention, Turkey 2016 - Sille Sanat Saray? Seyit Ali AK Photo Cup (SAAC), 1st Round, Turkey 2016 - MIFA Moscow International Foto Awards, Moving images-Documentary, Winner, Russia 2016 - MIFA Moscow International Foto Awards, Moving images, 2nd Place, Russia 2016 - YOUMANITY Annual Photography Award, UK 2015 - 1st Exhibition of Photography “ROCK – NICOSIA”, CPS praise, Cyprus 2015 - All Photographers Are One World, PSA Traka Ribbon, Serbia 2014 - Aphrodite IOPC 2014, ISF Silver Medal, CYPRUS 2014 - Circuit Exhibition of Photography TOURISM 2014, Salon Praise, Cyprus 2014 - 1st International Marmaris Photo Festival International Photography Contest, FIAP Mention, Turkey 2014 - 'Cyprus-Crete 2014' Photo Competition, 1st and 3rd Prize, Crete 2014 - CPS Pancyprian Photo Competition 2014, Best Performance of the Competition, 2nd Prize, Honorable Mention, Cyprus 2014 - 10th International Orhan Holding Photography Contest, FIAP Mention, Turkey 2014 - 2nd Exhibition of Photography "CHILD”, Silver Salon Medal, Serbia 2014 - 1st Exhibition of Photography 'BON VOYAGE', Salon Praise, Bulgaria 2013 - The 5th International Photo Contest "Peace Is Children's Rights", FIAP Bronze Medal, Greece 2013 - CPS Pancyprian Photo Competition 2013, Mention, Cyprus 2011 - PhotoCyprus, SAPI, Award of Exellence, Cyprus