My name is Cem. I am 45 years old and an artist. I came to Germany in 1973, when I was two years old. My mother worked at AEG and my father for Siemens, later as a butcher at Beusselstrasse and then he had his own Döner Kebab restaurant.
As my parents lived in a dorm for migrants the first two years, they left me in Turkey with my grandmother. Of course I missed my parents very much in that time, especially as I was still so small and understood nothing.
I never had problems in kindergarten or with my classmates. However, I had problems at home with my father. He was very strict and tended to use physical punishment. Nowadays my parents are divorced.
My mother and my stepdad own a music school, a conservatory with turkish music. My brother is a professional boxer.
My sister and her husband own a turkish dance school.
I was a street child at the age of 17, then my first girlfriends parents took me in.
I have done and tried many things professionally until I became what I am today: an artist.
I did a training as an interior decorator, afterwards an internship as a lighting operator, when I was taken over directly by Pro7. I lost that job, because I wasn't allowed to become self employed with my residency status. I then survived with jobs like barkeeper, kitchen assistant and dishwasher.
In 2011 I had my first own exhibition with 38 of my collages. Until today I created 500 Collages. I enjoy it very much and have finally found my way.