Kültür Club
Fenster61 is a single-window gallery space on Torstaße in Berlin, a short stroll away from my office. Each month they present the work of different photographers in their 2×2 meter space, more or less on the theme of Berlin.
This month Mirko Zander presents a series of photos taken in the city’s innumerable Turkish society clubs where men usually gather in the evenings to play cards, drink tea and have a good talk. As registered societies these clubs serve the function of ‘society headquarters’ and usually feature a ‘Members Only’ sign on the door.
They have lovely language-mash-up names which reflect the interests of their members, like ‘International Kartenspiel e.V.’ (card playing) or ‘Fanclub FC Fenerbahçe’ (football). Neon lighting and carpets worn to through to the floorboards by regulars are a big theme of these interiors, and the photo studies provide an interesting glimpse into this half-public, half-private domain only semi-visible from the streets.
See: Fenster61
Thanks to Mirko for allowing me to use his photo above.