Menekşe some weeks ago

1. Which movie/TV character you see yourself as and why?

I think “Maggie” in “City of Angels” was the character I found myself resembling with, because some of her personality traits and thanks to the extremely convincing acting of Meg Ryan.

2. Next plans or ideas?

I have an unpublished album. I will publish it as soon as possible. Also I’m planning my second personal exhibition for the next year, maybe in Istanbul or Ankara.Apart from these, if I had a red-white mini-cooper, I would never forget where I parked it. 

3. Your food today?

Spinach with a little bit of meat and plenty of yogurt.

4. Do you like your place or would you like to live somewhere else?

I’m in love with Izmir. When I had to leave it for the first time, at 21, because of the teachers rotation, I thought I will die in that new place. No sea, no smell of iodine and seaweed, no Jewish patty (Boyoz… a special desert that it’s only found in Izmir), no house made wine from the delicious grapes of the Aegean Sea… But I like very much to travel, to see new places and to meet new people… with the condition of returning to Izmir in the end. Also, I would like not to live, but to have a long holiday on a desert island, away from any kind of technology.

5. What was the huge mistake in your life you (unfortunately) never did?

Unfortunately, I never tightly thumped on the nose of any person who annoyed me up to despair.

Sini Kosk"-favourite restaurant thanks to a good menu, service and live music

Enjoying cold Efes-Beer at the Aegean Sea

6. Who are your neighbors?

I have a neighbor on the opposite side of the road who is constantly watching what I’m doing… and upstairs, the other one who is cleaning his house at very early hours on Sunday.

7. Tell me the shortest joke you know

A man has fallen asleep on the PC and he got sick the very next day. Why?? – Because forgot the “Windows” opened…

A teacher affects eternity. One can never foresee where their influence go.

The school where Menekse teaches. The flags were celebrating the Republic Day.

8. Tell me the biggest prank you did on a friend.

When I was 12 years old, we (me and my cousin) wanted to make a joke on my brother’s expense. He was on a swing and we have made him to become tangled in the ropes by turning the swing… and later we left it. The swing rapidly began to turn in the other direction side… turned… turned… and suddenly the rope broke.

My dear brother was tossed to one side and the swing to the other side. When he came back home from hospital he had sutures on his head. We had disappeared for 24 hours. (He is a surgeon now)

9. How to ruin your vacation?

If I did not go…

Working table. Usually Menekşe lights up the room

40 steps away from Menekşe´s home

Menekşe celebrating with some friends the toonpool.com exhibition hold in Izmir

10. In 1977 NASA has sent orbiters Voyager 1 and 2 into space which will never stop to fly through the universe by gravity. They contain the Voyager Golden Records with many testimonials of the whole mankind, greetings in 55 languages introduced by US president Jimmy Carter (“This is a present from a small, distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts and our feelings….”). The Golden Records with a lifespan of 500 million years at least are including drawings of a naked man and woman, detailed genitalia, many scientific graphics, sounds of planet earth and music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart – and Chuck Berry:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3haYAbqKjA

Maybe aliens out there will be shocked in some million years! But in case such a NASA mission will be replayed: which (1) of your artworks should join it?

I think I have a suitable hero for such a NASA mission.

snail

11. Please give us an answer to a question we didn’t ask!

It’s the best question that one could not ask!

Credits to Nicoleta Ionescu for talking with Menekşe Çam

(photos used with kind permission from Menekşe Çam)

Menekşe, it’s so exciting that there will be a toonpool.com exhibition in Izmir. Can you tell me how this came into being?

In fact, my husband first brought up the idea of a joint exhibition when we visited Berlin in late January. I mentioned the idea in the interview I gave back then and got very positive responses. I really want to thank Bernd Pohlenz for trusting me with the organization of the first toonpool.com exhibition in the “real world”.

Of course I also have to thank all the artists who agreed to join the exhibition and sent in their cartoons. Finally, there is the people at the BKM (Buca Municipality Cultural Center) who agreed to host the exhibition and gave us all the things we needed. Organizing this took a lot of time – more than three months. And it took a lot of hard work.

So, what is the general idea of the exhibition?

First of all, it’s a wonderful cultural event that puts the works from a great cartoon community on display for the first time. Second, the exhibition shows that this community can act together when necessary.

There is no profit in this event apart from spiritual pleasure and artistic prestige. Still, I hope that we can repeat this exhibition in other countries – after all, our slogan is “Toonpool.com – A Smile Goes ‘Round the World”

Buca Municipality Cultural Center

How many artists will be on display in Izmir?

It was really hard to choose between more than 80,000 artworks by almost 2,000 artists from 160 nations. In the end we had to settle for 58 cartoons by 58 artists from almost as many different countries. Among the artists on display are Matteo Bertelli from Italy, Pawel Kuczynski from Poland, An Yong Chen from China,  Ernst Mattiello from Switzerland, and Xavier Salvador from Spain..

What kind of cartoons did you choose for the exhibition?

Mostly they were chosen from among the most popular cartoons on toonpool.com – the ones with the greatest number of votes and comments. Some of them are political, some funny, and some thought-provoking. There will be a catalogue, too.

An Earlier Exhibition at BKM

Will some of the artists be present at the opening ceremony?

Yes, Buca Municipality will host ten artists in a hotel on the seaside – for two nights and three days. This includes accommodation, breakfast, and dinner. There are still some free spots.. artists who sent in their work and would like to spend a spend a weekend vacation in Izmir should just contact me.

Thanks for your time, I am really looking forward to seeing the photos taken at the grand opening!

EDIT: photos added HERE

Paul Hellmich

October 15-29, 2010

BKM (Buca Kültür Merkezi / Buca Municipality Cultural Center)
Uğur Mumcu Caddesi 29, Izmir

No Entry Fee

Catalogue available at BKM,
participating artists will receive a free copy

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Friday, October 15 – 18:00 Grand Opening (the mayor of Buca will open the exhibition)

Saturday, October 16 – tours organized for visiting artists (Ephesus, House of Virgin Mary, Ephesus Museum, Church of Saint Jean, Sirince village)

Sunday, October 17 – tour of Buca (İzmir)

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 or other rights and freedoms 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