Creating Military Narratives Worldwide: Aselsan's Internationally Acclaimed Sculpture Partnerships

Creating Military Narratives Worldwide: Aselsan's Internationally Acclaimed Sculpture Partnerships

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Aselsan, Turkey's leading defense and electronics company, has embarked on a global art project that redefines the concept of defense. This artistic endeavour is not just about the protection of borders, but about creating dialogue, sustainability, and shared imagination.

The project, curated by Beste Gürsu, brings together 21 artists from 14 countries. These artists have transformed Aselsan's decommissioned metal parts into monumental eco-sculptures, creating a living archive of imagination retooled.

Aselsan's CEO, Ahmet Akyol, believes that defense can be part of a broader cultural conversation. This sentiment is evident in the project, as each artwork corresponds to an Aselsan product, highlighting the deep link between the company's technological heritage and creative reinterpretation.

In 2025, Aselsan transformed its Gölbaşı campus into an open-air gallery, displaying large-scale sculptures made from obsolete machinery and defense equipment. These sculptures, some standing 5 meters tall, offer a moment of pause and reflection amid the machinery of power.

One of the most striking pieces is Argentina's Julian Andres Provenzano's "Lion" ("Aslan"), and Brazil's Michel Torres Costa's sharp and deliberate "Scorpion". Italy's Dario Tironi shaped "The Engineer", a humanoid reflection of technical evolution, while Iran's Hasan Novrozi's "Eagle" seems to take flight from the remains of machinery once grounded in function.

The works span continents and ideas, including Malaysia's bird's-eye "Abstraction" by Anniketyni Madian and Russia's desert-alert "Meerkat" by Alexey Medvedkov. Nigeria's Dotun Popoola contributed the towering "Kangal" sculpture, while Japan's Sayaka Ganz created the soaring "Seagull".

The fusion of martial utility and artistic expression in Turkey dates back to the Ottoman Janissary corps, where the Zildjian family began crafting cymbals from military metals. This tradition continues in Aselsan's 50th anniversary project, as artists such as Ayooluwa Samuel Akinrinola and Ivan Iler find in Aselsan's metal scraps the bones of new beings - part machine, part myth.

The project was first unveiled at IDEF, Turkey's major international defense industry fair, amid missiles, drones, and radar systems. It suggests that the future of defense may lie not only in protecting what we have, but in creating what we have yet to dream.

The sculptures now live permanently within Aselsan's campus, marking a new chapter in the company's history and the evolving relationship between technology, sustainability, and creative thought. They are monuments not only to past technology but also to what those materials might still become.

This artistic endeavour offers a visual and conceptual dialogue between the military-industrial past, current ecological imperatives, and the transformative power of creativity. It positions sustainability not just as a utility but as an artistic and cultural value.

[1] Aselsan's 50th Anniversary Art Project: Bridging Military History with Contemporary Environmental Concerns (URL) [2] Aselsan's Global Art Collaboration Transforms Decommissioned Defense Materials into Eco-Artworks (URL) [3] The Fusion of Martial Utility and Artistic Expression in Turkey's Defense Industry (URL)

1. The art project, curated by Beste Gürsu, brings together 21 artists from 14 countries, transforming Aselsan's decommissioned metal parts into monumental eco-sculptures, creating a living archive of imagination retooled.
2. The project, a global celebration by Turkey's leading defense and electronics company, Aselsan, redefines defense by creating dialogue, sustainability, and shared imagination.
3. Each artwork in the project corresponds to an Aselsan product, highlighting the deep link between the company’s technological heritage and creative reinterpretation.
4. The sculptures now live permanently within Aselsan’s campus, marking a new chapter in the company's history and the evolving relationship between technology, sustainability, and creative thought.
5. The 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.
6. This artistic endeavour offers a visual and conceptual dialogue between the military-industrial past, current ecological imperatives, and the transformative power of creativity, positioning sustainability not just as a utility but as an artistic and cultural value.

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