ASELSAN celebrates 50 years with sustainable art collection

As part of ASELSAN’s 50th anniversary celebrations, work continues on the third phase of an art collection created for the first time in the global defense industry under the vision of “An Upcycled Future.”

Commenting on the collection, ASELSAN CEO Ahmet Akyol said that, thanks to strong performance in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria, ASELSAN entered the BIST Sustainability 25 Index — created by Borsa Istanbul — in first place, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

Akyol stated:

“We see sustainability as a core value in all our activities and place it at the center of how we do business. We do not limit our sustainability efforts to contributions within our own operations; rather, through the leadership role we assume, we regard them as a development process in which we create awareness across our value chain while progressing toward our goals.”

Art inspired by biomimicry engineering

In the art collection filmed by Anadolu Agency, leftover materials from ASELSAN products are transformed into artworks by artists from different continents.

The names and forms of the artworks are inspired by ASELSAN’s “biomimicry” engineering approach — a nature-inspired, sustainability-focused design method.

Artists involved include Michel Torres Costa from Brazil (“eagle”), Galo Escultor from Mexico and Akporode Collins Abinoro from Nigeria (“wolf”), Julian Provenzano from Argentina and John Lopez from the United States (“horse”), Matt Sloane from Australia (“albatross”), Steve Ucheka Ekpenisi from Nigeria (“warrior”), Alan Williams from the UK (“marlin”), and Ehtisham Jadoon from Pakistan together with Oladele Ogbeyemi from Nigeria (local motifs).

The project follows a “zero waste” approach aimed at preventing waste, using resources more efficiently, minimizing waste generation, and ensuring recycling when waste occurs — all with the vision of leaving a sustainable environment and livable cities for future generations.

“We give waste materials a second life”

Argentine artist Julian Provenzano, who is working on pieces for the collection, said he generally uses scrap metal in his work.

Saying he was in Turkey for ASELSAN’s 50th anniversary, Provenzano noted:

“This is my second time in Turkey, and I’m happy and honored. The first time I made a large lion; this time I’m working on a Turkish horse. It’s a piece with many details. Here, we’re giving discarded materials a second life.”

Nigerian artist Akporode Collins Abinoro said he is working on the “gray wolf” motif, which holds special significance for Turks.

Australian artist Matt Sloane also emphasized how valuable it was for him to be involved for the second time:

“I’m working on an ‘albatross.’ My work has a lot of detail, and I’m using the materials ASELSAN has provided. Being here is a very valuable experience for me — working alongside other talented artists is extremely meaningful.”