Pictures For Purpose Photography Sale Sends Aid to Syria and Turkey

On February 6, 2023, millions of lives were irrevocably changed when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. In Turkey, there were more than 48,000 deaths and over 115,000 injuries. At least 4 million buildings were affected, with nearly 345,000 apartments destroyed; thousands were trapped beneath the rubble for days, and many are still missing. Syrians were struck hard, too—with nearly 8,000 deaths and more than 14,500 injured. About 11 million people in the country were impacted by the earthquake in some way, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. That’s almost half of Syria’s overall population.

The aftershocks, dearth in on-the-ground aid, and subsequent natural disasters (two Turkish provinces that were devastated by the earthquake last month are now being struck by torrential rains and flooding, Al-Jazeera reports) have shattered the region. But Pictures for Purpose, a foundation that supports pressing causes through the medium of photography, has put together a fund-raiser they hope will deliver some much-needed help to the area. From March 16 to March 30, PFP is raising funds for two nonprofits working locally—Ahbap in Turkey and The White Helmets in Syria—through a photo sale. Over 35 artists including Harley Weir, Carlotta Guerrero, and Chris Rhodes, have donated their prints for the sale, where they will be available to purchase for €129. (For the first time, Pictures for Purpose is also selling larger prints by select artists for €750 as well.) The list of participating photographers is a global one—and includes a handful of Turkish artists including Devin Yalkin, Olgaç Bozalp, Solène Şahmaran Gün, and Yusuf Sevinçli. Below, we’ve rounded up our favorite images from the sale—pieces that are worth so much more than their current price tag, and which will send valuable aid to two countries that need it. To purchase a print or learn more about Pictures for Purpose, Ahbap, or The White Helmets, visit https://picturesforpurpose.org/.