Gönül Sen-Menzel: A Bridge Between Cultures

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Weiden. Many people crowd into the narrow rooms of Galerie NY TN on Bahnstraße: on the occasion of International Women’s Day, owner Nuray Turan had invited guests to the opening of the exhibition “Art Bridge – come together”.

Several artists from Turkey, such as Gönül Sen-Menzel and Pinar Selimoglu, as well as Stefan Braun from Germany, are exhibiting paintings and photographs here with which they want to contribute to mutual cultural enrichment. A worthy aim that is also recognized officially: both the Turkish Consul General Mustafa Kemal Basa and district mayor Helga Blömer-Frerker paid their respects to “Art Bridge” and gave a few introductory words.

Nuray Turan can explain why the exhibition is dedicated to International Women’s Day but only takes place almost two weeks later: “On the actual Women’s Day it was still Carnival; we wouldn’t have stood a chance with our opening,” she laughs. “Now we are opening on the 18th, so at least the eight is still in there.” International Women’s Day is very important to the painter, who grew up in Istanbul. One of her main concerns, Turan says, is to draw attention to the problems of women worldwide. “I often paint pretty young women who look content. But if you look closely, you see the shadow in their faces and the hope in their eyes.”

For the photographer Stefan Braun, too, the depiction of moods and feelings is what makes his art appealing. “My pictures are mainly about people. What interests me is portraying each person the way I see them, and perhaps giving them a new view of themselves.” The artist, who comes from Karlsruhe, has only recently settled in Cologne but already feels very much at home: “Cologne is a great city, especially for art. There are lots of opportunities to present and exhibit your own work.”

The participating artists already achieved their goal of bringing people together through art in a very concrete way that evening. So many people crowd into the small gallery that even the large front windows steam up. That in no way dampens the mood, however – it adds to the intimate atmosphere of this successful opening.

Original caption: Committed to understanding: the photographer Stefan Braun and the painters Gönül Sen-Menzel (center) and Nuray Turan.