Living between Istanbul, Berlin, and New York, internationally-acclaimed photographer and video artist May Parlar reflects on existential topics with her mesmerizing images. Placing people and everyday objects in unordinary constructed realities, she explores the human condition and the idea of being. “I am forever curious about the human condition,” May tells us. “And I know the only way I can fully explore the ephemeral, corporal, and psychological experience of being human is through my own self. My practice as an artist is a meditation on being through my own existence, in a playful way.” She does this with several series like ‘Nomadic Realities,’ ‘Once I Fell in Time,’ and ‘Collective Solitude’ and an expert, recurring exploration of themes like self, time, and memory. Most of her works are self-portraits, reflections of her in different shapes and forms. “For me, they are both spontaneous performances turned into an image and playful memories frozen in time,” she says. But she also often depicts humans, objects, and fabrics in natural surroundings. Through her photography, she can document her reality and, at the same time, recreate it. This all comes about in a very natural way. “My practice is performative in nature and almost entirely based on spontaneity. Most of my still and moving images are the results of instinctive, creative impulses. I rarely plan a scene.”
