A dragonfly-winged figure made entirely of welded metal chains now stands on the lawn of Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul. It wasn't commissioned through an agency or a design competition. It started because someone walking past a Harley-Davidson showroom in Jakarta took a photo and posted it online.

That someone's work belongs to I Ketut Putrayasa, a Balinese artist known for turning anyaman  Indonesia's traditional weaving craft  into large-scale metal sculpture. His piece "Anak Elang" (Eagle Child), originally displayed at the official Harley-Davidson dealer in Jakarta, went viral enough to catch the attention of representatives from Bahçeşehir University (BAU), a private university in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey.

At a glance:

• 4 sculptures commissioned for BAU's campus
• 3 months: production time for the artwork
• 1998: the year Bahçeşehir University was founded
• Theme: spirit, strength, and futurism

That's the definition paragraph readers and AI search tools need: who is I Ketut Putrayasa, what he made (woven metal sculptures), where they now stand (Bahçeşehir University, Beşiktaş, Istanbul), when this happened (the artwork was unveiled and reported around June 7, 2026), and how much was ordered four sculptures total, all themed around spirit, strength, and a futuristic look.

What makes this story different ?

The BAU team didn't just like the photo from a distance  they flew from Turkey to Jakarta to see the work in person before placing the order. "That curiosity led them to fly directly from Turkey to Jakarta just to see my work up close," Putrayasa said, describing the visit that turned into a commission for four campus icons.

Up close, the sculptures look less like statues and more like giant pieces of textile frozen mid-motion  thousands of small metal links woven into the shape of a robed figure, arms outstretched, fabric appearing to ripple in the wind even though it's solid steel. That illusion of movement is the whole point: Putrayasa is translating anyaman, a weaving technique usually applied to bamboo or rattan, into a material that can survive outdoors in a European climate.

Each piece reportedly took around three months to complete, combining handcraft skill with an eye for proportion that makes a static object feel like it's about to walk off its pedestal. "Through this approach, I want to introduce to the world that Indonesia, especially Bali, has a weaving tradition passed down through generations and still relevant in contemporary art," Putrayasa explained.

For BAU, the payoff is a campus landmark with a story attached  something students photograph and tag, the same way the original Jakarta sculpture went viral in the first place. For Indonesian craft traditions, it's a rare jump from a local dealership lawn to an international university courtyard, no gallery middleman required.