Saudi Arabia aims to transform Riyadh City into an Open Air Sculpture Museum without walls by 2030. For this purpose, 30 sculptors from 20 countries were invited to the Tuwaq Sculpture event, which was held for the fourth time this year. The event’s theme was ‘The Energy of Harmony’, and the artists mostly made sculptures in granite stone. Sculptor Nilhan Sesalan represented our country with her work ‘Existence.’
The event was curated by Marek Wolinsky, a London-based curator and producer. Saudi artist Sarah Alruwayti, the Royal Art Commission chair, held the organization. After a month of hard work, the city won 30 unique works. While artists, curators, and gallerists took part in the simultaneous panels with their speeches, the Tuwaiq Sculpture Organization, which allows today’s world sculpture artists to meet, also hosted a scientific platform. The statues have taken their places in the city center of Riyadh as part of the Saudi and world cultural heritage.
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Nilhan Sesalan, represented Turkey in Riyadh, explaining its existence via granite art
The sculpture ‘Existence’ symbolizes the effort of man to know and express himself. The figure in the statue is trying to create a unique identity by overcoming his own body’s limits. This shows the search for identity, which is an existential problem. Nilhan Sesalan is one of Turkey’s leading sculptors. Born in Istanbul in 1975, Sesalan graduated from Mimar Sinan University, Department of Sculpture. Participating in various national and international exhibitions and competitions, Sesalan mainly focused on the human figure. While Sesalan’s sculptures reflect man’s inner world and social relations, they are also appreciated in terms of aesthetics and technique.
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