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| Ruhi Tuna has created statues of numerous historical figures. |
Currently residing in Canada, Ruhi Tuna is the creator of the statues of Mohammad Hossein Shahriar in Tabriz and Nəbati in Kaleybar. In addition to his sculpting activities, he also strives to train new artists, which has been an essential part of his artistic career from the beginning.
Azerbaijani sculptor Ruhi Tuna has created over 70 statues placed in various cities across different countries. He has sculpted figures of historical, literary, and national personalities from Iranian Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and other Turkic-speaking nations. Due to restrictions imposed on his artistic work in Iran, he moved to Turkey, where he continued his work for eight years.
Currently living in Canada, Ruhi Tuna is the author of statues such as those of Mohammad Hossein Shahriar in Tabriz and Nəbati in Kaleybar. However, his work extends far beyond these. He has also sculpted statues of Sattar Khan, Bagir Khan, Dede Korkut, Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Virani, Shah Ismail Khatai, Sehend, Nasimi, Pishevari, Babak, Amir Timur, Seljuk Bey, Oghuz Khan, Qashqai Ismail Khan, Koroglu, Muhammad Khwarizmi, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Nadir Shah, Nazim Hikmet, Haji Baba Khan, Sultan Selim III, Kublai Khan, and Dr. Reza Baraheni.
Besides his sculpting work, Ruhi Tuna is dedicated to training new artists. This has always been a crucial aspect of his artistic career. He explains that in Iran, some Ayatollahs consider sculpting to be forbidden, making it extremely difficult for this art form to flourish. Due to the religious policies of the Iranian government, the Ministry of Culture imposes restrictions that hinder the development of sculpture, painting, and other art forms. According to Ruhi Tuna, these long-standing restrictions have resulted in Iran and Iranian Azerbaijan falling behind in the arts compared to Turkey, the Republic of Azerbaijan, and other secular countries where artistic expression is free.
"In Iran, especially among Azerbaijanis, there is deep potential. If given the opportunity, great artists could emerge here. That is why, when they leave Iran, they achieve remarkable success in sculpture, painting, music, dance, and other artistic fields," he says.
Ruhi Tuna, originally from Tabriz, lived in Turkey for eight years. His statues of historical figures have been erected in various cities across Turkey. He states that even in Turkey, he has felt religious pressures on art and has faced threats due to his artistic activities. He considers such tendencies and religious interference in the arts a danger to Turkey’s future.
Ruhi Tuna's most ambitious project at present is creating a mobile sculpture museum for Iranian Azerbaijan. He envisions placing the statues of Iranian Azerbaijan’s historical figures in this museum. According to his plan, this mobile museum will be realized in Toronto, Canada, before being exhibited in the United States and Turkic-speaking countries.
The Azerbaijani sculptor’s greatest dream is to one day take this mobile museum to Tabriz and permanently establish it there.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Azərbaycanlı heykəltəraş onlarla tarixi şəxsiyyətin heykəlini yaradıb