2 Haziran 2026 Salı

"Paint & Release": Smurfs Cured Her Epilepsy; Now They Adorn Garbage Containers, in Bodrum

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 2 June 2026)















Living in Bodrum, Muğla, Meryem Sebile Gündüz (19), a graduate of the 
Fine Arts High School, overcame her childhood epilepsy and various 
health problems through painting. Bringing her art to the streets, Gündüz 
initiated a visual transformation in the district by painting garbage 
containers (!).

Meryem Sebile Gündüz continued her struggle with epilepsy, which she 
contracted in childhood, and various subsequent health problems through 
painting. Over time, she overcame her illnesses. Bringing her art to the 
streets, Gündüz began painting the municipality's containers with 
cartoon characters and animal figures. 
















Gündüz's work attracted attention in the district and on social media. 
With the permission of the municipality, she has painted 8 containers to 
date. Gündüz, who stated that she enjoys drawing, said, "I came across 
the 'taking a trash container' trend on social media, where some people 
shared their work with the note 'I'm taking it because it has sentimental 
value.' After this trend, I got this idea. I took my paints and went out into 
the street. I also uploaded a video of my first drawing. This video became 
a trend. After me, I saw that many people were doing and sharing similar 
works."

Gündüz, who said that she had a meeting with Bodrum Mayor Tamer 
Mandalinci after he saw her videos on social media and contacted her, 
and that he offered his support, stated, "We met and discussed the details. 
He said he wanted to support me. I started my work with the permission 
of the municipality. I usually paint cartoon characters from my childhood." 

Gündüz said that some people approached her with prejudice because she 
was painting garbage containers, but added, "However, over time I also 
met people who supported me. There were even people who sat next to 
me and painted with me. I am doing it with great pleasure now. I aim to 
color not only containers but also walls and streets in the future."

















Gündüz said, "Until four years ago, I had epilepsy, and I overcame it. 
Painting has always been a source of morale and motivation for me. 
I realized that I could achieve things. There were times when I was 
excluded because of my illnesses. However, because I loved my talent 
and was eager to create in this field, I never gave up, I persevered. 

Perhaps this is the reason why I am healthy today. In addition, I have 
overcome other illnesses that can be overcome with morale. At the root 
of all of them was my talent and effort. Now I think that I can achieve
things and reap the rewards of my labor. I will not give up, I will 
continue, and you should too. Chase your dream."





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