{"id":43924,"date":"2025-08-04T05:56:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T05:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/43924\/"},"modified":"2025-08-04T05:56:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T05:56:17","slug":"sculpting-defense-stories-aselsans-global-art-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/43924\/","title":{"rendered":"Sculpting defense stories: Aselsan\u2019s global art collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"

When we speak of defense, we often think of metal, machinery, precision and power. Yet, in T\u00fcrkiye \u2013 a land shaped by centuries of empire, conflict and culture \u2013 the story of defense has always had another layer. One where the forge doesn\u2019t just produce weapons but rhythm, where military rigor gives rise to artistic vision. It is in this tradition that Aselsan<\/a>, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s leading defense and electronics company, now steps forward with a strikingly original celebration of its 50th anniversary.<\/p>\n

This is not a military parade, nor a corporate retrospective. It is a global art project, curated by Beste G\u00fcrsu, that brings together 21 artists from 14 countries to transform Aselsan\u2019s <\/a>decommissioned metal parts into monumental eco-sculptures. It is a bold reimagining of what defense can mean \u2013 not just the protection of borders, but the creation of dialogue, sustainability and shared imagination.<\/p>\n


\n \"The
\n <\/a>
\n The “Owl” sculpture is display at Aselsan\u2019s G\u00f6lba\u015f\u0131 campus, Ankara, T\u00fcrkiye, July 30, 2025. (Courtesy of Halil Ibrahim Izgi) <\/p>\n

The dialogue between art and defense in T\u00fcrkiye is not new. One of the earliest and most poetic examples dates back to the Ottoman Janissary corps. The Zildjian family, who originally crafted cauldron lids for the military, began forging cymbals out of the same metals. These instruments \u2013 born in the military kitchens of Istanbul \u2013 became the backbone of Ottoman military music, and eventually the foundation of the Zildjian Company, now one of the most respected cymbal manufacturers in the world.<\/p>\n

This fusion of martial utility and musical artistry is echoed centuries later in the Ottoman soldier-artists. Figures like \u015eeker Ahmet Pa\u015fa and Hoca Ali R\u0131za, both trained in military schools, would become pioneers of Turkish painting \u2013 blending European techniques with local sensibilities to document and reflect the changing empire. Even earlier, Matrak\u00e7\u0131 Nasuh, a 16th-century polymath, painted intricate miniatures of military campaigns that served not only as visual records but as mesmerizing works of art \u2013 chronicling the empire\u2019s reach while celebrating its visual complexity.<\/p>\n


\n \"The
\n <\/a>
\n The “Lion” sculpture is display at Aselsan\u2019s G\u00f6lba\u015f\u0131 campus, Ankara, T\u00fcrkiye, July 30, 2025. (Courtesy of Halil Ibrahim Izgi) <\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2025. In the heart of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s capital, Aselsan has turned its G\u00f6lba\u015f\u0131 campus into an open-air gallery of transformation. With materials sourced from obsolete machinery and defense equipment, artists have created a collection of large-scale sculptures \u2013 some standing 5 meters (16.40 feet) tall \u2013 that reinterpret the company\u2019s technological journey through the lens of biomimicry, drawing inspiration from the rhythms and forms of nature.<\/p>\n

The project was first unveiled at IDEF<\/a>, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s major international defense industry fair. There, amid missiles, drones and radar systems, stood towering sculptures \u2013 spiraling, branching, glowing \u2013 offering a moment of pause and reflection amid the machinery of power.<\/p>\n

Now, back in G\u00f6lba\u015f\u0131, these works live permanently within Aselsan\u2019s campus, marking a new chapter not just in the company\u2019s history, but in the evolving relationship between technology, sustainability and creative thought.<\/p>\n


\n \"The
\n <\/a>
\n The “Meerkat” sculpture on display at Aselsan\u2019s G\u00f6lba\u015f\u0131 campus, Ankara, T\u00fcrkiye, July 30, 2025. (Courtesy of Halil Ibrahim Izgi) <\/p>\n

\u201cDefense is often seen in isolation \u2013 technical, strategic, utilitarian. But at Aselsan, we believe it can be part of a broader cultural conversation,\u201d says Aselsan CEO Ahmet Akyol.\u201cThrough this project, we\u2019re not only giving new life to retired components, we\u2019re building a new visual and emotional language for the future. It\u2019s a way of honoring our heritage while imagining what\u2019s possible when industry and imagination meet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, in a time where global divisions can feel overwhelming, Aselsan\u2019s 50th anniversary project offers a model of creative diplomacy \u2013 artists from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, France, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, the United States and T\u00fcrkiye working with the same materials, speaking through sculpture across borders.<\/p>\n

The works themselves reflect a wide spectrum of interpretations and cultural backgrounds. From the vibrant imagination of Nigeria\u2019s Dotun Popoola, who contributed the towering “Kangal” sculpture, to the intricate metalwork of Japan\u2019s Sayaka Ganz and her soaring “Seagull,” each piece brings a different story, a new rhythm. Each of these artworks corresponds to an Aselsan product, highlighting the deep link between the company\u2019s technological heritage and the creative reinterpretation. Argentina\u2019s Julian Andres Provenzano sculpted a regal “Lion” (“Aslan”), while Brazil\u2019s Michel Torres Costa presented the sharp and deliberate “Scorpion.” Artists such as Ayooluwa Samuel Akinrinola, with his Stingray and Ivan Iler from the U.S., with Gecko, found in Aselsan\u2019s metal scraps the bones of new beings \u2013 part machine, part myth.<\/p>\n


\n \"A
\n <\/a>
\n A soldier-inspired sculpture made from decommissioned defense materials, on display at Aselsan\u2019s G\u00f6lba\u015f\u0131 campus, Ankara, T\u00fcrkiye, July 30, 2025. (Courtesy of Halil Ibrahim Izgi) <\/p>\n

Each artwork does not merely fill space; it creates it. Italy\u2019s Dario Tironi shaped “The Engineer,” a humanoid reflection of technical evolution, while Iran\u2019s Hasan Novrozi\u2019s “Eagle” seemed to take flight from the remains of machinery once grounded in function. The works span continents and ideas: from Malaysia\u2019s bird\u2019s-eye “Abstraction” by Anniketyni Madian to Russia\u2019s desert-alert “Meerkat” by Alexey Medvedkov.<\/p>\n

Displayed together at the Aselsan G\u00f6lba\u015f\u0131 campus, these pieces form more than a collection \u2013 they construct a living archive. An archive not of war, but of imagination retooled. They are monuments not only to past technology but also to what those materials might still become. In this sense, the exhibition does not simply conclude a 50-year story \u2013 it opens another.<\/p>\n

Aselsan\u2019s initiative reminds us that the most enduring legacies are not only forged in fire, but also reimagined in form. And in a world seeking new ways to connect, this project suggests that the future of defense may lie not only in protecting what we have, but in creating what we have yet to dream.<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

\n The Daily Sabah Newsletter\n <\/p>\n

\n Keep up to date with what\u2019s happening in Turkey,
\n it\u2019s region and the world.\n <\/p>\n

SIGN ME UP\n <\/p>\n

\n You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
\n This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When we speak of defense, we often think of metal, machinery, precision and power. Yet, in T\u00fcrkiye \u2013…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43925,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,31053,49,48,356,75,31055,31054],"class_list":["post-43924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-aselsan","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-idef","tag-sculpture-and-art"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}