Biography
Ömer Tevfik Erten (ÖTE) is a photo-based interdisciplinary artist. Their work explores the intersections of gender and body politics, tracing the fluidity of boundaries and transitions. Recognized for their contemporary documentary photography series, ÖTE focuses on themes of identity, movement, and transformation, while currently exploring ways to develop their own photographic language.
Between 2020 and 2023, ÖTE co-curated the queer artist solidarity network Through The Window Project. Their work has been exhibited at Karşı Sanat, Akbank Sanat, Cer Modern, İş Sanat, and Studio X Istanbul, and has been featured in international platforms such as Mamut Art Project, Art Thessaloniki, Transition International Queer & Minorities Film Festival, and Tarabya Cultural Academy Summer Festival.
Beyond photography, ÖTE is also engaged in publishing, filmmaking, and critical writing. They have received several awards and grants, including the Trans X Turkey Grand Prize (2013), the Prince Claus Fund Seed Award (2022), and the PREE Fertile Ground Writing Competition (2024).
The social awareness project MisafirHane* was supported by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Istanbul in 2019. Their works have been showcased in the Pink Life QueerFest, Soura Film Festival, and 32nd Munich Turkish Film Days within the Queer Panorama selection.
In 2023, Ömer Tevfik was an artist-in-residence at Loading Art Space, where they led the workshop Democratic Approaches to Photography for artists.
Currently, ÖTE is pursuing their education at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and works as a curator in collective art practices, while living and practicing in Istanbul.
Education
- Galata Photography House, Workshops — 2011-2017
- Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Photography Department — 2022
Solo Exhibitions
- trans*house, Karşı Sanat Çalışmaları, Istanbul — 2014
- Burçak, Galata Photography House, Istanbul — 2017
Group Exhibitions
- MAP’15, Mamut Art Project, Istanbul — 2015
- Mekan Atölye II, Cer Modern Arts Center, Ankara — 2015
- Nerdeen Nereye, Istanbul Pride Week Art Exhibition, Istanbul — 2015
- House My Dreams or Shepherd, Studio X Istanbul, Istanbul — 2016
- Artist's Utopia, 27th International Artist / TUYAP Art Fair, Istanbul — 2017
- Selected Photobooks, 3rd Istanbul Photobook Festival — 2017
- Aspects of Balkan Photography, Art Thessaloniki International Contemporary Art Fair, Greece — 2018
- Salon w./ Proud & Pride, [mecra] salon, Istanbul — 2019
- Lost on the Highway, Soho House, Istanbul — 2019
- YER VAR MI?, Transition International Queer & Minorities Film Festival, Vienna, Austria — 2021
- Aesthetics of Struggle, Akbank Sanat, Istanbul — 2021
- “I'm not good at catchy one-liners, but who can say no to a laser proposal?”, Collective Magazine & Video Art, with Mona Mahall & Aslı Serbest, Tarabya Cultural Academy Summer Festival — 2023
- YUVA-HOME, na+ctrl collective, Barın Han, 2024
- The Face of the Image: A Zeynep Sayın Lecture, ARTHAN GALLERY, 2024
- A COLLECTOR'S STORY Taviloğlu Collection, İş Sanat, 2024
Publications
- Photo Notes: Gezi Resistance, Galata Photography House — 2014
- Memory Book, Galata Photography House — 2017
- Guest*House Photobook, Self Published — 2019
- shelTer (album cover), Müstesna Records — 2019
- Latif Photobook, Self Published — 2020
- Freak Out As Long As I'm Living, Faz Collective & FAİL Books — 2021
- “I'm not good at catchy one-liners, but who can say no to a laser proposal?”, Collective Magazine — 2023
- KaosQ+ Magazine, ‘’Death, Mourning and Ghosts’’, Latif, Writer and Photographer — 2024
Films
- Unnamed, Fictional, 02:29’ — 2013 (Director, Writer)
- Guest*house, Documentary, 10:00’ — 2019 (Director, Photographer)
Selected Screenings
- Guest*house, 9th Pink Life Queerfest, Queer Shorts Section from Turkey — 2020
- Guest*house, 4th LGBTI+ Youth Festival, Queer Shorts from Turkey — 2020
- Guest*house, 10th Pink Life Queerfest, Queer Shorts Section from Turkey — 2021
- Guest*house, 32nd Munich Turkish Film Days, Queer Panorama Section, Germany — 2021
- Guest*house, 4th Soura Film Festival, Bleeding Hearts Section, Germany — 2022
Lectures/Master Classes/Workshops/Artist Residencies
- Contemporary Photography Class, Guest Artist, Koç University — 2016
- Trans+ Identity, Portfolio Show, Istanbul Photography Gallery — 2017
- Exhibiting Photography with Natasha Christia, Workshop, Noks Art Space — 2017
- Dummy Book Workshop with Kazuma Obara, FUAM, Istanbul — 2017
- I Have a Project, Portfolio Show, FujiFilm, Istanbul — 2019
- Aesthetics of Struggle, Speaker, Akbank Sanat — 2021
- Following Eros: The Other Side, Resident Artist, Loading Art Space, Diyarbakır — 2023
- Democratic Approaches to Photography, Workshop Facilitator, Loading Art Space, Diyarbakır — 2023
- “I'm not good at catchy one-liners, but who can say no to a laser proposal?”, Collective Magazine Workshop, with Mona Mahall & Aslı Serbest, Tarabya Cultural Academy — 2023
- Democratic Approaches to Photography, Workshop Facilitator, VATOZ Platform & Fotoğraf Evi, Istanbul — 2024
Grants/Prizes
- Trans X Turkey, Unnamed, Short Film Grand Prize, Istanbul — 2013
- FUAM Photobook Award, Short List Prize — 2017
- 1st Equal Access to Human Rights Campaign Short Film Competition, Finalist — 2019
- Netherlands Consulate-General Istanbul, Production Grant — 2019
- Netherlands Consulate-General Istanbul, Production Grant — 2020
- Prince Claus Fund, Amsterdam, Production Grant — 2021
- Prince Claus Fund, Amsterdam, Production Grant — 2022
- Prince Claus Fund, Amsterdam, Prince Claus Seed Awardee — 2022
- Prince Claus Fund, Amsterdam, Production Grant — 2023
- PREE x Prince Claus Fund, Fertile Ground Writing Competition, Second Prize, 2025
Relevant Experiences
- Curator, Photography Exhibition “1+1: Strong Together”, Boysan’s House — 2019
- Creative Director, Latif Art Project — 2020
- Co-Curator, Through The Window Project - an online project gathering Turkish and Dutch queer artists — 2020-2023