Which art books, prints and posters are available by and about this artist? Here is a sample of items of interest to a typical collector:
Sabiha Çimen (b. 1986, Istanbul, Turkey) is a self-taught documentary photographer and full member of Magnum Photos. Her work focuses on portraiture, still life, Islamic culture, and the inner lives of women and youth.
Çimen initially earned a bachelor's degree in International Trade and Finance and a master's degree in Cultural Studies from Istanbul Bilgi University. Having taught herself photography using a medium-format film camera, she draws heavily on her lived experience and background in cultural studies to inform her long-term visual projects.
She gained international recognition for her landmark series and debut photobook, Hafiz ( published by Red Hook Editions in 2021). Drawing on her own history attending a Quranic boarding school alongside her twin sister, Çimen traveled across Turkey to photograph young Muslim women memorizing the Quran. Shot on medium-format color film, the project captures subtle moments of adolescent play, autonomy, camaraderie, and quiet rebellion within a traditional religious framework.
Working predominantly in medium-format film, Çimen’s formal compositions combine vibrant color palettes with deliberate, empathetic portraiture. Her practice bridges biographical intimacy and visual anthropology, challenging flat media stereotypes surrounding Muslim women.
Her debut volume won the Paris Photo–Aperture First PhotoBook Award in 2022. She has also received the W. Eugene Smith Grant, the Canon Female Photojournalist Grant, a World Press Photo Award, and became a full member of Magnum Photos in 2024.
For her debut photobook, Hafiz, Sabiha Çimen photographed girls attending Quran Schools in Turkey. The title, Hafiz, refers to one who has memorized all 604 pages of the Holy Quran. The individual process can take up to four years and is usually done by girls ranging in age from eight to nineteen. Çimen herself attended one of these schools. Now, she returned as a photographer and documented students at five Quran Schools over three years with a uniquely familiar perspective. Hafiz offers an intimate view into the daily life and dreams of these young students.
Çimen became a member of Magnum in 2024. She is the recipient of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Grant in 2020, Lightwork Artist Residency in 2021, World Press Photo - Long Term Project award in 2020, and other grants. She lives between Istanbul and New York.
Hafiz received the First Photobook Award Paris Photo in 2022.