"Winter Solstice:
Remembering Frieda"
Is a narrative of awareness by the photographer Mira Argun, renowned for his thematic projects. Written in poetic form, the work consists of 101 verses.
The project tenderly and admiringly recalls Frieda, a disadvantaged female figure, who truly lived long ago in Central Europe —within a fictional narrative. While reflecting on women’s issues such as gender inequalities, oppression within the institution of marriage, and the social or familial pressures that deprive women of the freedom to choose, it also addresses destructive social and societal issues that have plagued humanity throughout the ages, such as drought, famine, poverty, hunger, migration, and the exploitation of labor and the body. These themes are expressed candidly through the voice of an outspoken Sage Traveler, and even his inner monologue.
Frieda suffered permanent hearing and speech loss at a young age due to excessive salt exposure under harsh conditions in the mine where she was forcibly employed. Despite Frieda’s extraordinary human and intellectual qualities, her reputation was overshadowed by the unjust prejudices of her own community.
Set in a mist-shrouded past, the story unfolds in and around a salt mine settlement in Central Europe and its surroundings. Through clues about the Sage Traveler’s route and intellectual background, the narrative invites art lovers to expand their perspective toward the origins of belief systems held by the first farmers and their descendants who migrated from Asia Minor to Europe.
The Sage Traveler associates Frieda with Cybele, the Anatolian Mother Goddess, likening her to female figures that represent fertility, sexuality, and the continuity of life — figures that span a vast geography from ancient Greece to Rome, from Gaul to Africa.
As a small anecdote: one of the key moments that led to the Argun–Unsal collaboration was the excitement they shared upon realizing that Sebnem Unsal’s raw travel photographs—taken without any prior knowledge of Mira Argun’s Frieda project—strikingly resonated with its themes.
“Mira Argun stands out not only for his artistic production but also for his investigative and entrepreneurial approach. He uses photography not merely to capture a moment, but to convey a perspective, a thought, and a struggle. His work seamlessly integrates personal experiences with universal issues, shaped by poetic depth, conceptual coherence, and a bold, unwavering gaze.”
Mira Argun
Fine Art Photographer
Ιs a Fine Art Photographer, Certified Trainer, and Mentor based in Istanbul. He has led a wide range of projects, from fine art to interior, product, and portrait photography – including internationally award-winning ones. His limited edition fine artworks are featured in private and public collections and showcased on international online platforms. He offers corporate seminars and workshops with the motto “Photography for Mindfulness”, sharing his expertise and mentoring photographers worldwide.
Argun completed the Harvard Digital Photography course and studied under master photographer Assoc. Prof. Mustafa Bilge Satkin. His interdisciplinary research interests include Neuromarketing, NLP, and EFT. Since 1999, alongside his bachelor’s degree in economics and his international business career, he has been professionally engaged in photography.
He is the creator and executive producer of exhibition-oriented thematic photo projects such as Our Fisherman Sait, Artalan Istanbul, Sayvan, and Snack, all of which have been exhibited to the public in recent years. In March 2018, his solo exhibition Note Vivaci premiered in collaboration with 37 Art Academy in Acarkent.
In 2021, twelve pieces from his Cosmos 432 Hz series – interpreting the microcosm-macrocosm analogy – were first exhibited at Gallery11.17 in Istanbul. The fine art prints were later moved to The Objective Image Gallery in Victoria, Australia, and were also converted into NFTs on the OpenSea platform by the same gallery.
Mira Argun’s extraordinary thematic photography project Winter Solstice: Remembering Frieda — a work that pushes the boundaries of time and space — has been staged since 2023 in the form of solo and collective performances.
Additionally, for the website project of an Istanbul hotel chain that blends dynamic city life and simple luxury with nature, art and inspiration, his professional interior photography service received the International Outstanding Achievement Award 2016 in two categories.
Sebnem Unsal
Co-creator
Was born in Switzerland in 1975 and returned to Turkiye permanently in 1984. She graduated from Yakacik Ortadogu College’s German Department. In 2000, she completed her studies at Marmara University Faculty of Dentistry (English program) and has been practicing in the private sector for 25 years.
In 2023, she studied Mobile Phone Photography under the mentorship of Mira Argun at Decollage Art Space. As their friendship grew, they discovered that Sebnem Unsal’s raw photographs, taken abroad without prior knowledge of Mira Argun’s thematic project, naturally aligned with his Frieda the Nine Men’s Morris game player theme. This serendipitous overlap led them to collaborate on the Winter Solstice: Remembering Frieda project.
Sebnem Unsal is a lifelong art enthusiast who played the piano in childhood, practiced modern dance in her youth, and now devotes time to her passion for photography.
