Doctor bags award for sculpture made of quake rubble

ADANA

A doctor in the quake-hit southern province of Adana has bagged an award in a competition for a sculpture he made out of rubble, which depicted the hidden emotions and trauma he experienced during the deadly February quakes that claimed the lives of 50,000 people.

Born in the western province of Izmir, 49-year-old radiology specialist Noyan Zenger's passion for sculpture began as a child. After graduating from Izmir Dokuz Eylül University Medicine Faculty in 1987, Zenger became a specialist in radiology. After working in many provinces, Zenger decided to live in Adana.

Dr. Zenger, who turned a room of his house into a workshop about five years ago, recently participated in search and rescue operations during the deadly earthquakes.

Working at the hospital during the day and at his workshop at night, Zenger stated that the love of art has always been in him, and though he did not receive an academic education in this field, he developed his skills in ceramics on his own.

Affected by his experiences, Zenger made a sculpture he named "Hüzün" (Gloom), and earned the Turgut Pura Foundation 40th Anniversary Sculpture Competition Award with his work in the form of a sad human head figure made with pieces of rubble. Zenger’s work was then sent to the Arkas Art Museum Collection to be exhibited.

“I was also in a wreck and experienced that sadness. I wanted to produce a work that could reflect my feelings about this disaster. I set out with the idea of combining rubble as a material and sorrow as an emotion in this work and tried to convey the deep sadness we experienced after the quakes. The earthquake shook Türkiye and all of us very deeply. This sculpture was a reflection of the deep traces the quakes left on my soul,” Zenger said.