By İrem Naz Duymuş (AMER/III) & Eda Emekoğlu (AMER/III)
The Art of Healing Cracks
Is Ankara a feeling? I believe it is.
When you move to a new city and start from scratch, it welcomes you in its own peculiar way. At first, you chase the clichés—visiting the popular spots, testing the stereotypes handed to you by others and perhaps by your past self. Then comes the real discovery. Layer by layer, the city begins to unfold.
Ankara doesn’t shine at first. It’s quiet, grey and seemingly distant. But the grey isn’t emptiness; it’s a cover, a layer. It’s a silence that waits to be broken, a city that asks you to look closer. And once you do, you begin to see the cracks—not as flaws, but as openings. Behind those concrete surfaces lies an ocean of stories, memories and resilience.
You find meaning not in grandeur, but in the everyday: in the warmth of a sunny afternoon on campus, in the smell of cozy coffee shops on a rainy day and in all the small moments where your story weaves its webs—and, for some, in the quiet courage of those who call this city home.
For me, Ankara isn’t home—not entirely, not yet. Still, each time I return, it welcomes me like one. Maybe it’s the cracks—the quiet spaces where my own story has learned to settle in. At these times, I start to experience “the feeling.” I believe I’m not the only one who feels it.
This summer, an anonymous artist named Ememem came to Ankara with a simple yet powerful mission: to heal the city’s cracks—both literally and metaphorically. Known for transforming broken pavement into vibrant mosaics, Ememem’s art is a celebration of imperfections and resilience. Using recycled ceramic fragments, she weaves colorful patterns that don’t just cover the damage but invite us to pause and appreciate the transformation of the cracks. She calls this practice “The Art of Healing Cracks.”
This project was carried out in collaboration with the Institut Français and Çankaya Municipality, and the mosaics were installed in several locations across the city. Interestingly, these places are precisely where you can truly feel Ankara—spots that reflect the city’s character and spirit.
Maybe, as you explore the city, you’ll find your own cracks and come to see them not as flaws but as spaces waiting to be healed and transformed, to become a form of art in your journey.
The Four Columnists are your companions on this journey, showing the way forward. Here is the map—ready for you to explore and reflect on the art in the city.
We’d love to hear from you—you can share your thoughts and reflections with us.
