On February 21, 2020, Cafe Clock, Marrakech’s cross-cultural cafe will host HUMAN, a Photography Vernissage by Sinem Taş. The Turkish born photographer and director traveled circumnavigated the world to capture the stories of people in everyday life scenes. Her work is inspired by the Alevi and Bektashi philosophies founded during the 13th century in Asia Minor. The Alevi and Bektashi orders share many things in common with other Islamic Sufi movements such as the spiritual doctrines and the importance of a spiritual guide. Alevism is a syncretic Islamic tradition that is based on the elements of Bektashi tariqa and defines the perfect human being as someone who identifies with pure consciousness. In Morocco, the population of Muslims in predominantly Sunni. The main differences between Turkey and Morocco’s sects of Islam are comprised of their places of worship, rituals observed and philosophical view of the Prophet Mohammed.
The “My Kaaba is HUMAN” project was inspired by these fundamental concepts. According to Tas, “the greatest book to read is the human being” and that which we are seeking can be found is actually in ourselves. Tas’ workplaces these beliefs into practice by showing the similarities people share regardless of their age and gender. Her work sheds a light on people’s fears, hopes, dreams, struggles, and disappointments. The underlying message behind her art is that humans are more connected than we imagine.
Sinem Taş is a cinematographer, filmmaker, and storyteller who graduated with an International Relations bachelor’s degree at Uludağ University in Bursa. She studied in Portugal for her master’s degree in Multi-Media, Photography at the Fine Arts Faculty of Lisbon University, where she has also worked as a freelance photographer and filmmaker since 2014. Prior, she covered protests in Izmir (2013) for a local newspaper in Turkey.