Negligent Internment: Memories of Çorum, 1944-46
The Çorum paintings by Traugott Fuchs in light of the testimonies of interned Germans and Austrians
Exhibition at the Orient-Institut Istanbul, May to October 2024.
Curators: Dr. Richard Wittmann, Merve Köksal
On August 2, 1944, Turkey broke off diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany. Hundreds of holders of German Reich passports, who were in Turkey for a variety of reasons and did not want to leave the country, were interned in three small Anatolian towns. This episode in the relations between the still young Republic of Turkey and Hitler’s Germany, which has hardly been dealt with in German, Austrian or Turkish historiography, is the subject of the current exhibition at the Orient Institute Istanbul. How did men, women and children experience the forced stay in the city of Çorum, which in some cases lasted up to two years, and how did they reflect on it in letters, diaries and interviews? We are showing the Çorum paintings by the German émigré scholar Traugott Fuchs as an extraordinary visual confrontation with the internment experience. This thematic collection forms part of the Traugott Fuchs Archive, which has recently been housed at the Orient-Institut Istanbul.
The exhibition can be viewed free of charge at the Orient-Institut Istanbul after prior registration on more than a dozen dates offered until the fall. Visiting hours for September and October will follow. Please note: Texts in the exhibition are in German and Turkish.
Exhibition Visiting Times:
- Thursday, 30.5., 9-12
- Thursday, 6.6., 9-12
- Tuesday, 25.6., 14-17
- Thursday, 27.6., 9-12
- Tuesday, 2.7. 14-17
- Monday, 8.7., 16-19
- Friday 19.7., 16-19
- Saturday 20.7., 14-17
- Tuesday, 30.7., 14-17
- Thursday, 1.8., 9-12
- Tuesday, 6.8., 14-17
- Thursday, 8.8., 9-12
Exhibition language: German and Turkish
