Integration I, Integration II

In Integration I (Türkisch -> Deutsch), Integration II (Deutsch -> Türkisch) (2025), Esra Gülmen draws on the symbolic power of the yorgan-traditional Turkish duvets-to explore the complexities of cultural adaptation. The yorgan has previously appeared in contemporary Turkish art as a metaphor for migration, shelter, and transition. In her work, Gülmen juxtaposes Turkish and European bedding traditions to reflect on what integration truly means. The idea emerged from a quiet moment of contrast: encountering two single duvets on a double bed in a German household-so different from the oversized, shared duvets of her upbringing in Turkey. That everyday detail became a metaphor for deeper cultural values: individuality versus coexistence. In the installation, Gülmen cuts a shared Turkish duvet in two and stitches together two single European ones. This gesture becomes a tender but pointed metaphor: integration is not about erasure, but transformation through coexistence. Cultures shift in both directions, subtly influencing one another. A video shown alongside the work captures the cutting and sewing process from a bird's- eye view-distant and neutral. More than documentation, it reflects the integration process itself: quiet, methodical, intimate. Through this, Gülmen reminds us that adaptation unfolds not in policy, but in the everyday— in bedrooms, in habits, in the space between warmth and difference.

Integration I (Türkisch -> Deutsch)
Integration II (Deutsch -> Türkisch) , 2025
200 x 220 cm, 1 traditional handmade Turkish duvet (silk, cotton, fiber, wool)
270 × 200 cm, 2 single duvets stitched together (cotton, duck feathers)
1 + 1 AP