Letters for Lili

When my grandmother died, she was in Brazil, and I was in Germany. And no one ever told me how difficult it is to mourn from afar. When I returned to my grandmother’s house, almost a year after she died, I wasn’t allowed to grieve. There was no more room for her and no more room for me. My grief came late, and I didn’t know what to do with it.

Seven years after her passing, even further away from Brazil, I created an altar to honor our memories, a little sanctuary that holds space for my grief and my love for her.

“Grandma, the spring is coming, the flowers will soon be blooming and I’m already feeling you closer to me again".

This work was part of the exhibition "In between distance and closeness", as a presentation of the elective course "Love in Relation to Art" from the Art Department. Course director: Meriç Algün, Senior Lecturer in Art towards Interdisciplinary Practices.