The NSU crime scenes: a photo exhibition
The 2017 exhibition, "Bloody soil. Scenes of NSU crimes," featured Regina Schmeken's photos of sites of the right-wing group's atrocities. The images ensure that while life continues, the victims have not been forgotten.
Enver Şimşek, September 9, 2000, Nuremberg
Enver Şimşek, aged 38, was the fist victim of the far-right terrorist group Nationalist Socialist Underground (NSU). He was found on the side of an arterial road in Nuremberg with several bullets in his body. He died two days later. Regina Schmeken started photographing the sites of the NSU crimes at the beginning of 2013 and returned to them several times until 2016.
Süleyman Taşköprü, June 27, 2001, Hamburg
The grocer Süleyman Taşköprü, 31, was found here by his father, lying in a pool of blood. He died shortly afterwards. Photographer Regina Schmeken said her camera felt drawn to the ground when visiting the sites. The floor covering is still the one that was there at the time of the crime, 14 years ago.
Mehmet Turgut, February 25, 2004, Rostock
This is where 25-year-old Mehmet Turgut died. He was a temporary worker at a döner kebab stand and was shot by the NSU murderers. Through her exhibition project, Regina Schmeken sought to remember the victims through the crime scenes, by exploring the fact that they at first sight no longer offer any trace of the violent crimes that occurred there.
22 people injured, June 9, 2004, Cologne
A nail bomb which exploded on Keuptstrasse in Cologne injured 22 people - many of them seriouly. The street in the Mülheim district is known for its many Turkish and Kurdish shops. The police believed for a long time that the attack was related to a family feud.
Theodoros Boulgarides, June 15, 2005, Munich
The seventh NSU murder victim was Theodoros Boulgarides. The 41-year-old Greek man was shot three times in the head. Regina Schmeken didn't leave out manifestations of daily life in her pictures, as she wanted to demonstrate that these murders happened in animated areas.
Halit Yozgat, April 6, 2006, Kassel
The 21-year-old Halit Yozgat, born in Kassel, ran an internet café in this house, until the NSU shot him twice. Like the other NSU victims, he was found lying on the ground, executed by the far-right terrorists. He died in the arms of his father.
Michèle Kiesewetter, April 25, 2007, Heilbronn
The police officer Michèle Kiesewetter, aged 22, was shot in her patrol car in Heilbronn. She was the 10th and last murder victim of the NSU terrorist group. The memorial exhibition pursues discussions on the events and coexistence with migrant communities.