Recyclable art exhibition enlivens Turkey’s capital

İnci Hazal Özcan-ANKARA

An exhibition featuring works of Turkish artist Rıfat Koçak demonstrates how cold and metal scrap parts can be turned into magnificent pieces of art.

Koçak takes scraps from old and wrecked cars from junkyards and bends them into sculptures of numerous animals, including fish, goats and horses.

The artist is mainly known for his metal sculptures and his prominence in recycle art in Turkey.

“We have morphed into a consumer society. We are consuming so rapidly. This consumerism needed to be unrolled. I am doing this with my art,” Koçak told Hürriyet Daily News.

Koçak’s main inspiration comes from his love for nature thus he seeks to demonstrate his strong stance against consumerism in his artwork.

“We are individuals of a consumer society. Our waste increases simultaneously with our consumption. If we can put these forward with our art, or offer these in a sustainable level, we can somewhat decrease this consumerism,” he said.

“Even a brake lining can be used for art,” he said.

For an artist, recycling waste materials for art is a “responsibility,” according to Koçak.

“It is an artist’s mission to draw the attention of the public with art and encourage more conscious ways of consumption,” Koçak stressed.

His exhibition “Pas” [“Rust” in English] is on display at Galeri Soyut in Ankara until June 19.
The exhibition embodies his sculptures made of metal waste, including a falcon’s head and Hercules bug sculptures, along with his paintings.

Koçak, a Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University graduate, is currently residing in the Aegean resort town of Bodrum yet he frequently holds exhibitions in Istanbul and Ankara.