Crafts teacher Azad Şimşek paints discarded materials or wastes such as paper, cardboard, wood, glass, plastics, and metal to transform them. She opened a shop to sell recycled objects. She has a workshop in her shop to teach women how to recycle used or discarded materials.

MEDİNE MAMEDOĞLU

Van – Crafts teacher Azad Şimşek lives in Van province. She recycles discarded materials or wastes. She paints discarded materials or wastes such as pine cones, shoes, stones, chests, paper, cardboard, wood, glass, plastics, and metal to transform them into artworks. She opened a shop in the city to sell artworks and raise awareness about environmental issues.

She began to paint discarded materials in her house

Azad Şimşek likes to see everything in color. She began to paint old or broken materials as a hobby to color up her own life. When she was studying arts and crafts at university, she decided to recycle discarded materials. She began to paint discarded materials such as broken chests, paper, and old shoes in her own house. She transformed them into artworks by repairing and painting them.

Her aim is to raise awareness about environmental issues

“Painting discarded materials was only a hobby for me at the university.  Then, I decided to transform them into artworks to raise awareness about environmental issues. I first started painting pinecones. I transform discarded materials by painting them,” she told us.

“I offer women the opportunity to work in the workshop”

“My aim is to create a new energy by using the old energy,” Azad Şimşek said that her hobby becomes her profession. She opened a shop in the city to sell recycled materials. She also has a workshop in her shop to teach women how to recycle the old materials in their houses. “I offer women the opportunity to work in the workshop,” she added.

“I change the existing objects”

“For me, the monotonous life is boring so I change the existing objects,” she said, “I paint discarded and old materials. All products in my shop are recycled products. Sometimes, people ask me ‘How did you make these products?’ When I tell them how I transform them, they want to learn to transform the old materials in their home. I have a workshop in my shop to teach them how they can transform discarded materials. People can bring old and unused materials and transform them in my workshop.”