Mustafa bilge Satkın
Mustafa Bilge Satkın is an award-winning documentary photographer based in Istanbul. He began his career in 1995 and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Photography Department at Marmara University, where he now serves as an Associate Professor. He earned his doctorate from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, further enriching his academic and creative approach to visual storytelling.
His work explores themes of social injustice, climate change, and forced migration, often focusing on underrepresented communities in the Middle East. Satkın is a member of Diversify Photo and a volunteer photographer for the United Nations Development Program (Turkey). His projects have appeared in the Anadolu Agency, Middle East Images, Redux Pictures, and Getty Images.
He has participated in numerous group exhibitions across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His solo shows include Black and White Istanbul, Scarecrow, Timeless Country: Afghanistan, and AVM: Modern Fairs.
Satkın’s visual essays from regions such as Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Lebanon blend strong journalistic instinct with deep cultural insight. His photography is marked by empathy, careful observation, and a commitment to human-centred narratives.
His work has been recognised with the 78th POY Environmental Vision Award, the Lucie Foundation’s “Photo Taken” Grant, Getty Images Editorial Grants, and the Sheikh Saoud Al Thani Project Award.
One of Satkın’s most notable long-term projects is Drowned History, which documents the displacement of communities in Hasankeyf, a 12,000-year-old settlement in southeastern Turkey submerged by the Ilısu Dam. The project reveals how ancient heritage, biodiversity, and people’s livelihoods were sacrificed for a hydroelectric project.
Through intimate, emotionally charged imagery, he captures the painful reality of forced relocation—families abandoning homes, exhuming graves, and grappling with the loss of ancestral connections. The work is a powerful reflection on identity, resilience, and memory in the face of irreversible change.
