Gönül Sen-Menzel: Memorial Exhibition in Her Studio – City of Cologne Event Calendar

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June 28, 2014, 1 to 8 p.m. – free admission

The memorial exhibition honors an extraordinary artist. Gönül Sen-Menzel (1949 to 2014) was a Turkish-German painter with a charisma fueled by boundless creativity. Her lively, color-intense style became her signature. As a mentor and role model, she had a formative influence on many artists.

Over the last 25 years, her studio in Volkhoven/Weiler became a meeting place that many remember fondly. She also played a decisive part in shaping the art scene in the north of Cologne, as with the art project “Kunst(T)räume Chorweiler”. A special feature of her artistic work was painting movement in real time. In open-air performances she captured dancers on canvas, as in 2013 in the European Capital of Culture Marseille and on Pariser Platz in Chorweiler.

Gönül Sen-Menzel studied art at the Teachers’ College in Istanbul. She also studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, graduating as a master student. She has exhibited in more than 200 renowned galleries worldwide. She also worked as an art teacher and wrote children’s books.

A defining trait of Gönül Sen-Menzel was her strong sense of justice and her commitment to the disadvantaged. She campaigned for women’s rights, against oppression and for children, and showed remarkable moral courage.

The memorial exhibition will take place in her studio with the participation of the international artists’ group KÖL-TÜR, founded in Cologne in 1983 by Gönül Sen-Menzel. Since then, KÖL-TÜR has regularly organized events, workshops and art markets.

Admission: 1 p.m.
Opening: 2 p.m. by district mayor Cornelie Wittsack-Junge, followed by live painting and music

Venue

Studio of Gönül Sen-Menzel
Volkhovener Weg 209–211
50765 Cologne-Volkhoven/Weiler

The entry appeared in the City of Cologne’s online event calendar (stadt-koeln.de) for the memorial exhibition on June 28, 2014. See also: Memorial Exhibition for Gönül Sen-Menzel in Her Studio.