Art at Halaçlı Mehmet Ağa Mansion with Hikmet Çetinkaya: Connecting Past and Present, City and Village
ANKARA - At Tohumluk Foundation, we strengthen connections between urban and rural communities through art. Our gathering at Halaçlı Mehmet Ağa Mansion in Ankara’s Gölbaşı district brought this purpose to a historic setting. In partnership with Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, we welcomed painter Hikmet Çetinkaya for a painting workshop with art enthusiasts. Nursen Yavaş, wife of Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş, also joined the gathering.
We designed our October 6, 2026 event as an opportunity to take a closer look at an artist’s creative process. Centered on a live painting demonstration by Hikmet Çetinkaya, the program aimed to explore how an idea develops on canvas and to introduce the artist’s approach. Part of our ongoing cultural work in Halaçlı, the gathering offered a setting for direct exchange between an artist and an audience.
Gathering in the mansion’s garden also meant reconnecting with the history of the place. Our Chair, Pınar Ayhan, recalled how, during the Battle of Sakarya, village women prepared bread for soldiers under Mehmet Ağa’s initiative and sent it to the front. She also described how the building, after years of disuse, was restored by the municipality following the wishes of its owner, Andaç Hanım. Its renewed role brings rural residents and visitors from the city together.
For us, sharing this history creates a connection between past and present. The story of people coming together around shared needs invites us to reflect on what cooperation means today. We approach our arts gatherings in the same spirit: as opportunities for people to listen to one another, learn, and share an experience.
During the event, Ayça Yusufoğlu Köroğlu, Head of the municipality’s Department of Culture, Arts and Social Affairs, emphasized the importance of giving restored buildings an active cultural purpose. The conservation work of Ankara Miras and the cultural programming of Ankara Kültür support a shared objective: keeping these places in use and connected to community life.
Hikmet Çetinkaya welcomed the mansion’s use as a public arts venue. His reflections on its talks, concerts, exhibitions, and workshops highlighted the importance of people embracing the space. A restored building gains renewed meaning through the encounters and activities it makes possible.
We thank Ankara Metropolitan Municipality and its teams, Hikmet Çetinkaya, Nursen Yavaş, and everyone who joined us. Our experience in Halaçlı illustrates the value of bringing heritage preservation and access to art together. At Tohumluk Foundation, we continue to create opportunities for people to connect with their surroundings, their shared history, and one another.
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