Mediha Didem Türemen

From the earth’s highest peak to its deepest archive, Mediha Didem Türemen leaves an indelible mark on the world with her artistic creations.

Whether at Vienna’s Albertina Museum with her engravings, on the Cannes Film Festival’s red carpet for her production of “About Dry Grasses,” in the Arctic World Archive preserving global memory with her documentary, or on the vast slopes of Everest—Mediha Didem Türemen’s work spans diverse geographies and disciplines. Recently celebrated with an award at the Peru Biennial, her relentless drive to create continues to inspire.

Let’s start with your Peru Biennial award. Congratulations! This is just one of your many international accolades. What does such recognition mean to you?
Thank you. It often prompts me to ask what the next step might be, sometimes revealing new turns in my journey. Each turn might bring challenges or opportunities, but either way, it leads to new ideas and emotions. The key is to balance the importance of awards—neither clinging to them nor dismissing them—and to enjoy the moment, celebrate it, and then move forward.
The fact that an award, a compliment, or a piece of feedback comes from a completely different culture, from miles away, allows me to see how my work resonates. Sometimes, it even helps me rediscover my own ideas. When I’m there in person—like at award ceremonies in Peru or Florence—it becomes a journey of discovery with an unexpected ending.

You’ve produced work across various fields throughout your artistic journey. From your behind-the-camera success in cinema to your appearances as an actor, not to mention your achievements in engraving, it’s impressive to excel in such diverse areas. Where does this ability to juggle it all come from?
Perhaps it’s a classic answer, but I’ve been drawn to different fields since childhood. Being an only child, I often found myself delving into creative pursuits. While this may seem like a positive trait now, I faced criticism for it early on and had to fight to ignore it. Each field I work in feeds and intersects with the others, or I find ways to make them intersect. Behind it all, there’s a desire for independence by doing what I love, driven by curiosity and the urge to explore.