Turkish artist Serra Erdoğan has received the 2026 Honorary Award for Futurism in Art in Brussels for her work “The Colors War Could Not Steal,” dedicated to women and children affected by conflicts around the world.
Erdoğan received the recognition during the Global Tourism Forum (GTF) Annual Meeting 2026, held Nov. 9-10 at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. The event brought together government representatives, diplomats, European Union officials and industry leaders from more than 60 countries.
Under the theme “The Visible Form of Thought,” Erdoğan’s artwork delivered a message of peace, resilience and solidarity, using vivid colors, geometric forms and symbolic imagery to explore the human cost of war and the enduring power of hope.
The work was completed through a collaborative art performance in which international guests, including senior officials and diplomatic representatives, contributed their own marks, lines and figures to the composition.
The collective process transformed the artwork into a shared statement against war, bringing together participants from different cultural and national backgrounds around a common appeal for peace.
Titled “The Colors War Could Not Steal,” the work focuses on the experiences of women and children whose lives have been disrupted by armed conflicts.
Rather than depicting the devastation of war exclusively through dark imagery, Erdoğan uses vibrant colors and interconnected geometric forms to emphasize survival, solidarity and the possibility of renewal.
Participants at the Brussels event added their own elements to the composition, turning the artwork into a collective creation rather than an individual artistic statement.
Each contribution represented a personal expression of solidarity and a shared aspiration for a more peaceful future. Together, the additions underscored how art can transcend national boundaries and bring people together around common humanitarian values.
The collaborative performance also reinforced the central message of the work, although war can destroy homes, separate families and leave lasting psychological scars, it cannot entirely extinguish hope.
“Because war can shatter lives, but it can never steal the colors of hope,” Erdoğan said, summarizing the philosophy behind the artwork.
The composition draws on symbolism to communicate the experiences of women and children affected by conflict.
At its center, a circular structure represents the maternal womb, the cycle of life and the instinct to protect. The surrounding geometric patterns reflect the struggle of fragmented lives to remain connected despite the destruction caused by war.
Tear-shaped forms evoke grief, suffering and loss, while the vivid colors surrounding these elements represent women's resilience, children's dreams and the enduring capacity for hope.
Through this visual language, Erdoğan seeks to shift the focus from destruction to recovery, highlighting the possibility of rebuilding lives even in the aftermath of profound hardship.
The artwork's symbolism also reflects a broader understanding of peace as more than the absence of conflict. It presents peace as a collective responsibility sustained through solidarity, compassion and the protection of vulnerable communities.
The award ceremony took place alongside the Global Tourism Forum's annual meeting, which addressed international tourism, investment, artificial intelligence, transport infrastructure, border security and freedom of travel.
The two-day meeting featured more than 70 speakers, including serving and former government officials, ambassadors, European Commission representatives and business leaders.
Among those listed in the conference program were Daniel Attard, a member of the European Parliament; Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar, a former Portuguese secretary of state for fisheries and former member of the European Parliament; and Abulfas Garayev, Azerbaijan's former culture and tourism minister, who also served as a moderator.
The program also included several senior diplomatic representatives, among them Mary Chirwa, Zambia's ambassador to Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the European Union; Dato' Mohd Khalid Abbasi Abdul Razak, Malaysia's ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union; and Khandker Masudul Alam, Bangladesh's ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union.
Other participants included representatives from Mozambique, South Africa, Ecuador and Myanmar, alongside former Greek tourism official George Tziallas.
Through its combination of symbolic imagery and collective participation, Erdoğan's work brought a message of peace and resilience to an international gathering of political, diplomatic and industry figures.
