Fatih Alkan (b. 1960, Ankara) is a multidisciplinary artist, engineer, and inventor based in Istanbul. His artistic practice merges curiosity, mechanics, and philosophy, rooted in an approach that values process as much as outcome. After a successful career in industrial engineering and business, Alkan shifted his focus to pursue creation as a way of life.

For more than 15 years, his studio — a repurposed workshop in FSM Mahallesi, Istanbul — has become a laboratory of ideas where balance, movement, and recycled life converge. It is here that he experiments daily, transforming found and discarded objects into kinetic sculptures, experimental drawing machines, and process-driven installations.

Alkan works almost exclusively with recycled and inexpensive materials. This choice is both philosophical and practical: discarded objects carry history and possibility, and their low cost removes fear from experimentation. Each piece becomes an exercise in harmony and tension, control and chance.

Artistic Philosophy

At the core of Alkan’s work lies a belief in balance and interconnectedness. Inspired by simple ropes tied in the street, he developed structures where separate elements hold one another in suspension. For him, these constructions reflect life itself: body, mind, and circumstance are bound together, and if one part falters, the whole collapses.

He approaches creation as continual trial and error. The act of making — solving problems with his hands, improvising with found parts, testing balance until harmony appears — is as important as the finished artwork.

“Working with my hands heals me. Each experiment, each problem I solve, adds something to my being. The outcome matters less than the act of discovery.”

Many of his machines are whimsical and unpredictable: canvases that spin, pens that sway, paint-filled capsules that dance across surfaces. These devices create images no human hand could anticipate, embodying the coexistence of order and chaos, control and spontaneity.

Roots & Influences

• Childhood in Ankara — Inspired by his grandfather’s workshop, where problem-solving, repair, and making were a natural part of daily life.

• Engineering background — Studied Industrial Engineering at Middle East Technical University (Class of ’83). His technical expertise in mechanics and problem-solving directly informs his artistic process.

• Artistic influences — Draws inspiration from Turkish sculptor İlhan Koman, known for works exploring balance and movement. While respectful of tradition, Alkan insists his own journey diverges toward discovery and improvisation.

• Recycled materials — Sourced from local paper collectors, scrapyards, and discarded objects, these materials reflect a commitment to sustainability and a philosophy of giving overlooked things new life.