With his staged photographs of adolescent girls, Nazif Topçuoglu provides a critique of Islamic society. According to him, half its human capital - namely women - is wasted because women are not permitted to acquire knowledge. With references to British boarding schools and classic painting, Topçuoglu creates a fantasy world in which everything is permitted for girls, from satisfying their curiosity to acquiring knowledge and playing erotic games. The photograph 'Throwing the Book' also refers to a recent event in Turkish politics: during a meeting the President threw a book containing the Constitution at the Vice Premier.

Nazif Topçuoglu (b. 1953, Turkey) graduated in photography and architecture. He has taught at various Turkish universities and regularly publishes books and articles on photography.