A Paris district municipality has permanently acquired two monumental sculptures by a Turkish artist, securing their place among the French capital’s enduring public artworks and marking a rare milestone for contemporary Turkish sculpture abroad.
The bronze works, "Hemera” and “The Man Holding the Moon” by the sculptor Cem Sağbil, are now permanently installed at the entrance of Alban Satragne Park in the Strasbourg–Saint-Denis area, following years of public display and a three-year leasing period.
This decision comes after the sculptures gradually became part of the neighborhood’s urban landscape and daily rhythm.
Sağbil first presented the works in Paris in 2009 as part of a major cultural program showcasing Turkish art and culture.
They were selected from a broader exhibition and later placed at the park entrance, where they remained on view for years.
After deciding to retain the sculptures permanently, the municipality launched an extensive landscaping and restoration project at Alban Satragne Park to integrate the works as lasting public installations.
Sağbil said the permanent installation of his sculptures in Paris carries deep personal meaning.
"To have my works permanently placed in a city like Paris, which is entirely integrated with art on every street and every corner, is an indescribable honor for me,” he said. “These sculptures no longer belong only to me; in a way, they also provide a meeting point through the duality, contrasts and oppositions they symbolize.”
The sculptures were created using the lost-wax casting technique and cast in bronze for long-term durability.
"Hemera,” a figure associated with daylight, holds a sun finished with 24-carat gold leaf, while “The Man Holding the Moon” carries a moon covered in 925 silver leaf. The works stand 210 and 225 centimeters tall and are designed to endure for centuries.
Paris 10th District Mayor Alexandra Cordebard told private broadcaster CNN Türk that the works have become an integral part of the area, one of the city’s most culturally diverse districts.
She noted that residents from around 70 different nationalities live together in the neighborhood without religious or social tensions, adding that the sculptures have come to symbolize coexistence and shared civic space.
Sağbil is now the only Turkish sculptor with permanent works in Paris’ public spaces.
His sculptures are known for exploring dualities such as East and West, woman and man, night and day, emotion and reason and life and death — contrasts that ultimately form a sense of balance.
The two works now stand as both part of Paris’ cultural memory and a symbolic link in cultural relations between Türkiye and France.
