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MENEKSE CAM IN TOONPOOL... |
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2010.02.04 - 12:36:41 |
Menekşe Çam from
Izmir is
toonpool.com’s
undisputed queen of comments and an
irreplaceable part of the community.
We invited her and her huband over to
frost-ridden
Berlin to visit the toonpool.com facilities and meet our
staff.
Thanks to toonpool.com member Hayati Boyacıoğlu’s
translation
we spent a great time with these
warm-hearted people.
[image above: Menekşe on frozen lake Wannsee]
I am glad you had a safe trip home,
Menekse.
How did you and your husband like Berlin?
The invitation came as a complete surprise.
It was such a memorable event for me …
to have the opportunity to meet a great artist and
a perfect gentleman like Bernd Pohlenz,
and to see the toonpool.com office up close.
We had a great time in Berlin.
Also Hayati Boyacıoğlu – who is a great artist and
a really great friend – stayed with us all the time.
He told us everything we wanted to know and
showed us everything – all the important places:
historical ones, political ones and nature, too.
We had an excellent week in every respect.
Are you planning to visit other
toonpool.com members
or are there any plans that they come
visit you in Turkey?
Yes, of course! Right now, my biggest plan is to organize
a visit to Izmir for Bernd Pohlenz
and Hayati Boyacıoğlu.
We could set
up an exhibition of works by toonpool.com members in Izmir.
I talked to the people at Buca Cultural
Center and they told me
that they
would welcome such an exhibition.
I noticed that you and a number of
other artists on toonpool.com
have
formed a kind of network, a close friendship.
How
did that develop?
Good question! In fact, this was nothing we planned or consciously worked on.
We know each
other from toonpool.com and we interpreted
each other’s
work with love and respect.
It may seem
that we are only supporting each other and providing
each other
with enthusiasm for work..
But from time
to time we have long discussions over works
whose ideas
we don’t approve of.
Over time
artists from lots of different countries have joined this
friendship, this network.
Do you feel a special connection
between Turkish people living
in places as different as Turkey (like
you),
Norway
(like Firuz Kutal)
or Belgium
(like Ismail Dogan)?
I believe and feel that there is a special connection between
people from
all over world – not only Turkish people – who share some sort of ideology.
It doesn’t
matter if they are from Turkey,
Belgium,
Norway or Germany. Or Romania, or Croatia…
Can you describe that ‘ideology’ you
and
the other artists are sharing?
It’s an ideology that does not discriminate people because
of their
race, religion or language.
An ideology
that recognizes that all people have equal rights.
One that does
defend freedom of expression but that also
recognizes a
need for self-control when people’s religious feelings might get hurt.
And no matter
what: it is an ideology against wars and massacres!!
How do think will the toonpool.com
community develop in the future?
In my opinion the members of toonpool.com will act together
more often –
even if they have different mindsets.
Just as they
did during the Hadi Heidari incident.
There might
also be joint exhibitions or other collaborations for a good cause.
Thanks for your time!
Paul Hellmich
http://blog.toonpool.com/interview/menekse-melting-berlin-ice
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