Crave

The Anatomy of Longing

Desire, unfiltered. Crave documents bodily and emotional hunger—it doesn’t whisper; it pulses.

Crave is a series about want. Not romantic longing, not the soft-focus yearning of love stories, but something more immediate: the heat that rises in skin, the pull that begins before language. The photographs explore how desire acts upon the body before the mind can name it—how wanting is first a physical event, then an emotional one, and only later a thought.

The series operates across multiple registers of erotic tension. Some images reduce the body to its formal elements—surface, contour, the way light interacts with skin. The influence of Nobuyoshi Araki is present: the unflinching gaze, the body as both subject and object. But where Araki often dwells in provocation, Yıldırım seeks something closer to sculpture. Flesh becomes material; desire becomes form.

Other images stage desire as spectacle and confrontation. The erotic here is not passive but active—bodies that hold power, that challenge the viewer’s gaze. The camera does not simply observe; it participates in the charge between bodies, complicit in the tension it records.

Throughout the series, veils and barriers introduce a strategy of partial access. The look that cannot quite land, the touch deferred. Eroticism emerges not from full exposure but from interference—the space between visibility and obstruction where desire intensifies.

The private scenes in Crave pulse with both anticipation and aftermath—the moment before touch, the stillness after. Pleasure is present, but so is solitude. The series refuses to separate lust from loneliness; in Crave, they exist at the same temperature. These are bodies caught in the grip of wanting—sometimes another person, sometimes something that cannot be named.

The project is ongoing, and the archive continues to grow. Selected works are available as limited edition prints through Artsper, Saatchi Art, and Artmajeur.

Nude figure leaning against a wall, illuminated by purple light, with reflection in an ornate mirror that captures a contemplative gaze.
Black and white close-up of a woman's torso, with soap suds cascading down, highlighting curves and textures against a dark background.
Close-up of a bare back, glistening with soap and water droplets, set against a dark background, highlighting texture and form.
Profile silhouette of a face with a protruding tongue, softly illuminated against a deep black background, emphasizing contours and textures.
Nude figure showcased from behind, focusing on smooth skin against a bright, minimalist backdrop with a white bed frame.
A close-up of a blurred figure with hands, framed by a vivid green background featuring a stylized eye, creating an intimate atmosphere.
Close-up of two nude breasts against a softly blurred background, showcasing skin tones and gentle light contrasts.
Nude figure reclines on rumpled white sheets, with soft shadows and dramatic contrasts in black and white, evoking intimacy.
Dark, textured skin partially covered in white bubbles, highlighting curves against a blurred, monochromatic background.
A partially unclothed female boxer, adorned with tattoos and pearl necklace, trains in a boxing ring, illuminated by blue and purple lights.
Two nude women with intricate tattoos lounge on a bright orange couch, highlighted by warm sunlight and soft shadows.
Nude figure seated on a bed, with a short bob hairstyle, partially obscured, against a backdrop of stone and wood textures.
Close-up of a woman with a sleek bob hairstyle, striking an intense gaze. She wears a partially open black shirt against a warm, orange backdrop.
Nude figure reclining on a white surface, with soft lighting accentuating curves and a pale green wall creating a serene atmosphere.
Nude figure reclining on a surface, with soft warm tones and gentle lighting highlighting body contours against a muted background.
A woman with long hair poses nude in a shower, enveloped in vibrant pink and blue lighting, creating a moody, atmospheric scene.
A semi-nude figure with wet hair emerges from a vibrant background of pink and blue hues, creating a dynamic and ethereal atmosphere.
A nude figure presses against a foggy glass, illuminated by vibrant pink and blue lights, creating a sensual and mysterious atmosphere.
A close-up of a nude person on a white surface, focusing on the curves of the body and soft lighting highlighting the skin.

All Projects / Exhibitions

UnNude

Silhouette of a crouching figure on a light background, emphasizing muscular limbs and dynamic pose, creating a sense of movement.

Not nude, but reimagined. In UnNude, flesh becomes form, and desire fades into geometry.

Niche

A nude figure sits gracefully on a vintage red velvet sofa, illuminated by natural light from a nearby window against a deep blue wall.

Niche is a space of tender withdrawal—where silence echoes in fabric, corners, and breath.

Ecotone

Naked figure partially obscured by foliage, posed against a tranquil lake, surrounded by lush greenery under soft sunlight.

Body becomes part of a living landscape—blurring the lines between skin, soil, and sunlight. 

Elsewhere

A nude model poses gracefully in a vibrant alley, adorned with pastel-colored walls and hanging laundry above.

Elsewhere follows the body through city shadows—unnoticed, unstilled, unreal.

Antemortem

A nude figure stands in a dimly lit barn, holding a ram's skull, framed by wooden slats and a window, in black and white.

A body caught between memory and erasure. Antemortem traces the soft residue of life before it slips into silence.

Crave

Silhouetted figures of a couple embrace closely, shrouded in smoke, highlighting their intimate connection against a soft, light backdrop.

Desire speaks in color. Crave paints the body with longing, each image trembling between heat and hunger.

Motus

A blurred figure with red hair poses against a dark background, arms raised, conveying a dynamic and expressive moment in nude art.

Not frozen moments, but echoes in motion. Motus captures the body in flux—between gesture, memory, and breath.

Lucida

Portrait of a figure with luminous, multicolored body paint against a dark background, delicately touching their chin, exuding ethereal beauty.

Under blacklight, the body becomes flare—a glow, an echo, a mirage. Lucida seeks the threshold where form dissolves.

Chimera

Monochrome image of a distorted human form submerged in water, with fluid reflections creating soft, wavy contours and shadows.

Mirrored, fractured, reformed. Chimera turns the body into illusion, where flesh bends under the gaze.

Melancholia

A nude figure leans on a wooden piano, surrounded by soft, warm lighting and draped fabric, conveying an intimate, melancholic mood.

Melancholia doesn’t shout—it lingers. These images carry silence, like a breath held too long.