Turkish artist turns waste into ‘post-apocalyptic’ art

With a goal to remind people about the value of the world and life itself, a Turkish artist has been turning waste materials such as stone, glass, bone and metal into "post-apocalyptic" artworks to express the importance of life through his works.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, Uğur Çalışkan, one of the practitioners of the "post-apocalyptic art movement" in Turkey, which has attracted interest in science fiction films and literature in recent years, said that the need for life was the basic and strongest instinct.

He said all living creatures struggle to survive and exist, regardless of the circumstances, and this focus formed the base for his work.

Çalışkan said he often creates sculptures with various objects like stone, glass, bone, waste metal and other technological waste materials he collects from different places.

The artist expressed hope that "post-apocalyptic art serves as an early warning to remind us both that the world is the only place in the universe that can be inhabited and the value of life itself."

"I can express my work in the form of artistic fiction and structures that have been metamorphosed into an object of art using the mechanical structure of nature, the metal and technological materials that humanity has created by emulating the nature, natural materials and even contaminated air," he said.

Hoping that his work will serve as a "packing needle" to remind people that the world and life are very valuable, Çalışkan said he would continue to do his best to achieve this goal.

Çalışkan, who practices as well as designs leather costumes for the Fire of Anatolia dance group, has 18 solo exhibitions.

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