What do eyes tell us? Which secrets are hidden in the depth of eyes? Are they windows opening to souls? Do they tell the true story of who you are, or are they the greatest liars?
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Yenidoğan is one of the districts in İzmit/Turkey where the gypsy population densely lives. The region is also known as “Manastır” due to the monastery that stood there from the 16th century until it was demolished in 1921. Some older people still call the area by that name. Since my house is close to there, I visit the place from time to time.
A while ago, I met with some young boys in Manastır. When I offered to take their photos, they accepted with a cheerful gleam in their eyes. During our chat, they told me that they all are a member of a gang. A very dangerous gang that does very bad things, such as stealing apples from neighbor’s gardens, breaking the windows and running away, secretly smoking in secluded areas, or fighting with children of other neighborhoods. Listening to all these children singing like birds was like reading the book “ The Paul Street Boys” by Ferenc Molnar.
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Which words are written in the eyes? What untold stories do we read in the abyss of eyes?
This collection which is about my very dangerous gangsta fellas and the stories in their eyes is a tribute to my childhood that is moving away from me more and more with every second of passing time.
