My name is Cem. I am 45 years old and an artist. I came to Germany in 1973, when i was 2 years old. My mother worked at AEG and my father for Siemens, later as a butcher at Beusselstrasse and then he had his own doner kebab restaurant.
My parents, who have lived in a dorm for migrants left me in Turkey with my grandmother. Of course I missed my grandparents when I first came to Germany, since I was very little and didn’t understand. I never had problems in kindergarten or with my classmates. I had problems at home with my father. He was very strict and would sometimes beat me. In the meantime 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 when I was 17 years old. Then my first girlfriends parent took me in. I have done and tried many things professionally until I have become what i am today – an artist. I did a training as an interior decorator then an internship as a lighting technician and was taken over directly by Pro 7. I lost that job because I was not allowed to become self employed with my residency status. I then survived with jobs like barkeeper, plate washer. In 2011 I had my first own exhibition with 38 of my collages. Until today I made 500 Collages. I enjoy it very much and have finally found my way.