Wall art by Yener Torun

from Istanbul, Turkey

Find out more about Yener Torun

Yener, where are you from and where do you live now?

I'm from Marmaris, Turkey, and I currently live in Istanbul.
How would you describe your artistic style?

Even though most of my photographs feature architectural elements and I'm a trained architect, I do not think of myself as an architectural photographer. Most of my compositions flatten space, emphasizing line and color over depth, and this helps me to abstract these structures from their original environment and create something unusual and new. I basically use these buildings as raw materials to make works of art. And while doing that I also document this colorful development in the outskirts of large cities like Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir.
What's on top of your bucket list (as an artist or just as a person)?

As a person, I usually do what I want to do. Therefore, I do not need a list. As an artist, one day I'd love be a part of an international art exhibition for sure. And actually that was almost going to happen this year (Venice Biennial) but I had very little time to arrange everything, and in the end there had been some scheduling conflicts. Nevertheless, this might still happen in 2019.
Analogue or digital?

Digital. I have zero experience with analogue.
New York or remote mountain hut?

Well, even though I love being out in the wilderness from time to time, I am more of a city guy, so the answer is New York.
Becks or Merlot?

I like them both! Why should I have to choose one? On the other hand, I drink beer more often, I must say.
And a little Proust: What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Doing what you passionately love on a daily basis and making a living out of it.
Which living person do you most admire?

I've never thought of that and honestly, I do not really idolize any living (or dead) person. Of course I really love some works of other people but this doesn't make me admire them. I certainly have high respect for them.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Modesty maybe. I'm not sure even if it is still a virtue.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My family, without a question.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

A cat maybe. I love cats and the way they live their lives. I'd like to be a cat which has a brain as capable as a human brain. And then I'd probably conquer the world :)
The world needs more...

color! The existing ones (the ones we can see) are not enough for me. And of course color brings positivity. That's all we need right now.
I’ve changed my mind about…

almost everything! I change my mind frequently. It's all about perspective, the way you look at things...
What most people don't understand is that…

patience pays off in the end. There's no need for pushing.

Instagram

For each art print you buy, Yener Torun and Photocircle plant trees in Ethiopia.

Since the beginning of 2021 we have been able to plant 134.587 trees in Ethiopia so far - these trees are estimated to absorb 10.766.960 kg CO₂ within the next five years