Students showcase Turkish culture in ice at Ata museum

At the Ata Ice Museum, which was established in cooperation with the Northeastern Anatolia Development Agency and illuminated with lighting systems, students from the Fine Arts Institute and the Sculpture Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts carried out works inspired by Turkish mythology and culture.

At the museum, where temperatures remain at minus 5 degrees Celsius year-round, the aim of these works—created using irons—is to preserve and keep alive the culture of Anatolia and Central Asia, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

The students produced ice sculptures depicting important figures from Turkish mythology such as Ayaz Ata, along with a horse’s head and various Turkish symbols. They also recreated traditional objects such as wool-spinning tools and rubber shoes in ice.

Visual Arts Teacher and graduate student in the Sculpture Department of the Fine Arts Institute, Burak Selvi, told Anadolu Agency that the works were carefully designed.

Stating that the artworks have been well received by visitors, Selvi said, “A work of art should convey a message. With these characters and materials that stand out in Turkish culture, we prepared three-dimensional works to ensure they are not forgotten, but remembered and commemorated.”

Selvi explained that the sculptures were created using electric saws, rasps, and irons.

“We worked on concepts that have become traditional and cultural symbols together with our fellow students. There are items such as stone mill mortars and wool-spinning tools used by Turks in the nomadic Yörük culture of Anatolia. We present three-dimensional sculptures representing concepts from Anatolian culture and distinctive figures from Turkish culture, stretching from Central Asia to the present day. One of our friends made a sculpture of Ayaz Ata, known symbolically as the ‘Turkish Santa Claus.’ We are exhibiting sculptures that combine conceptual meaning and symbols,” he said.

As reported by CE Report, Selvi added that the museum also features works aimed at young people and children, and that efforts are ongoing to create an ice sculpture of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.