Atatürk bust taken down after public backlash

ÇANAKKALE

A bust depicting modern Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk has been removed in the northwestern province of Çanakkale after a series of criticisms and discussions that it did not resemble the leader and could not be considered a successful work of art.

The 180-centimeter bust, which was placed in Kahramanlar Park as part of the 60th International Troy Festival activities of the municipality, became the target of criticism on social media after its photo was shared in recent weeks. The sculptor and the municipality faced criticisms for the bust's alleged lack of resemblance to Atatürk.

In a written statement released on Oct. 9, the municipality stated that the Atatürk bust was removed “for reevaluation by the artist due to the criticisms.”

In response to the criticisms, sculptor Ethem Muhtaroğlu stated that the placement of the bust in the park was only for trial purposes before the inauguration, and it became a target before the final version of the work was completed, as its initial version was shared in the local press.

"A person who did not like the bust took a photo with his mobile phone before the inauguration. A local journalist shared it on social media without checking. If they had checked, they would have seen that the sculpture was not in its place as we took it back to the workshop. We were planning to make a few color choices. Now we have taken it back to the workshop to add the pupils and change its color."

"I sent the original photo of the bust to journalists, but they did not publish it. The whole public started criticizing the sculpture based on a poorly taken photo."