Documentary Turn is a collection bringing together works developed within long-term documentary projects by Ivailo Stanev, carried across different places and over extended periods of time.

At the centre remains the human presence — not isolated, but seen within its environment, through gesture, posture, and the way a moment holds itself.

Stanev works with a high degree of discretion in his documentary practice. In many cases, the camera is not raised to eye level, allowing the scene to remain undisturbed. This approach requires precision and control — the ability to recognise and fix a moment without altering it.

What defines these photographs is a particular way of seeing — an ability to register situations that often pass unnoticed, and to respond to them without delay. The image is not searched for, but recognised and taken as it appears.

The images are not constructed. They emerge from duration, proximity, and a sustained way of working. Each photograph stands on its own, while remaining part of a larger body of work developed over years.