“Swallowed”• 2026• Lake Urmia, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran

“Swallowed” documents the dramatic environmental transformation of Lake Urmia in northwestern Iran. Photographed from above, the image captures the rusting hull of the Artemis, an abandoned vessel stranded on the exposed bed of the once-vast lake.

The aerial perspective reveals the extraordinary scale of the ecological change: a vessel once associated with navigation and a living lake now rests on dry, salt-covered ground. The contrast between the industrial remains of the ship and the vast, depleted landscape creates a visual record of environmental loss.

Beyond documenting a single abandoned vessel, the photograph reflects the wider consequences of prolonged water depletion, environmental mismanagement, climate pressures, and the transformation of Lake Urmia's ecosystem. The ship becomes a symbol of a landscape that has been gradually swallowed by drought, while the aerial viewpoint emphasizes the scale of the environmental crisis.

The work combines documentary photography with a strong visual abstraction, using scale, geometry, texture, and the isolated presence of the vessel to communicate the human and ecological consequences of a disappearing body of water.