Monument to Humanity: The Sculpture That Exists Through Its Absence
Mehmet Aksoy's 'Monument to Humanity,' created for Kars municipality in the mid-2000s to represent reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia, consisted of two halves of a human figure facing one another. Aksoy referred to it as 'a human being split in two' and 'a bleeding eye that symbolizes conscience.' Critics argued it recognized Armenian historical claims, which heightened tensions. In 2011, then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan labeled it a 'monstrosity,' resulting in its demolition in April of that year. Aksoy's legal efforts were unsuccessful. However, in 2019, the Turkish Constitutional Court determined that the demolition infringed on his artistic expression rights. The monument now survives solely in photographs and memory, underscoring censorship in public art. Aksoy remarked it became 'the first sculpture in the world that exists through its absence.'
Key facts
- Mehmet Aksoy designed the Monument to Humanity, commissioned by the Kars municipality in the mid-2000s.
- The monument was located on Üçler Tepesi, overlooking the Armenian border, symbolizing reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia.
- The sculpture consisted of two halves of a human figure facing each other, with one extending a hand.
- Aksoy described it as 'a human being split in two' and 'a bleeding eye that symbolizes conscience.'
- In January 2011, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called the monument a 'monstrosity' during a visit to Kars.
- Demolition began in April 2011, before legal proceedings concluded, with workers beheading the figures.
- In 2019, the Turkish Constitutional Court ruled that the demolition violated Aksoy's constitutional rights to freedom of artistic expression.
- The monument now exists only in photographs, court cases, writing, and public memory.
Entities
Artists
- Mehmet Aksoy
Institutions
- Kars Municipality
- Turkish Constitutional Court
- Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts
Locations
- Kars
- Turkey
- Üçler Tepesi
- Armenia