Winner of sculpture competition placed in Taksim Square

A sculpture, which has been selected from 80 works, was placed right next to the Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) in Istanbul's Taksim Square.

A sculpture competition was held in April last year to enrich the architecture of AKM, which underwent a great restoration work and now welcomes art lovers with its renewed face.

The jury of the competition, consisting of veteran names in their field, chose interior architect and designer Semih Eskicioğlu as the winner. Meeting the criteria of the competition, the work was built right next to AKM last week. But the work is being criticized by some people, likening it to a mausoleum or the iron scaffolding of a construction.

Speaking to the Demirören News Agency about the criticisms, Eskicioğlu, said, "Everything should be criticized anyway, but the criticism should be based on knowledge. Accessing information is very easy today. I would be much happier if the jury of this competition and how the work was put here is examined. Then it would be criticized. This is a completely subjective matter. I prefer it to be criticized based on its story."

As for the details of the competition, Eskicioğlu said, "The competition was open to everyone. I came first among 80 people. The subject of the competition was a sculpture compatible with the Atatürk Cultural Center building, has no meaning when placed elsewhere and belongs only here. It has a story with a longer subtext. I approached the story of the work in accordance with the subject of the competition."

Eskicioğlu explained what he wanted to tell in his work, saying, "The thing that creates its form in terms of integrating with the façade and the silhouette of the city is the sound waves coming out of the opera house, metaphorically undulating it. It...