Global Art and the Museum

BAS and its activities

Since 2006 artist Banu Cennetoğlu has been running the space BAS in Istanbul where artists’ books and publications are collected, displayed, produced and distributed. BAS is building a collection of artists’ books by local and international artists. With a permanent display in the space the aim is to create an awareness of the medium and to encourage the public to explore printed matter.

BAS’ first production project was Bent, a partnership between BAS and artist Philippine Hoegen. To support a local production and generate a discussion on the medium, Bent’ primary focus was collaborations with artists from Turkey. Bent has produced 10 Bent Books by 5 different Turkish artists and art collectives since it began in May 2006. Another BAS’ publication project was An Interrupted History of Punk and Underground Resources in Turkey 1978-1999. Edited by Sezgin Boynik and Tolga Güldallı, published and released by BAS in November 2007, the book researches the development of the Punk and underground movement in Turkey. The book was a great success nationally and internationally and is out of print currently.

Since December 2009 we are developing a series of talks and exhibitions at BAS, in order to focus on the historical and critical context of artists’ books and printed matter. In January 2010 an exhibition of artist’s books by Sol LeWitt was followed by a talk by Antoni Muntadas. In Spring 2010, KORIDOR (1988 – 1995), a collective from Istanbul; mail-art, printed matter project from late 1980’s, was shown in its complete form for the first time followed by a public discussion with all its members. As the forth event of this series in January 2011, BAS did host “ My Life in Books“ by AA Bronson, an artist and a healer from New York City.

Publications by BAS

Bent Artists’ Books
Editors: Banu Cennetoglu, Philippine Hoegen

• Bent 001: Pavement Myth-The Life of the Pavement’s Wolf (1,2,3,4,5,6)
  

Artist: Masist Gül
Masist Gül (1947-2003) was an artist of Armenian origin, who was born and lived in Istanbul. Although he made his living as an actor playing minor roles in over 300 movies, he produced a large amount of collages, drawings and poetry. None of the work was published or exhibited during his life. During the 80’s he conceived and made by hand a series of 6 books with the title Kaldırım Destanı – Kaldırımlar Kurdunun Hayatı (“Pavement Myth – The Life of the Pavement’s Wolf”) using a periodical comic book format. The first existing reproductions of these originals are published as Bent 001. (May – October 2006, 52 pages / 17cmx24cm / colour / offset printing)

• Bent 002: TakipPoursuite
  

Artist: Aslı Çavuşoğlu
TakipPoursuite is a crime story by Aslı Çavuşoğlu. It was constructed entirely with sentences or parts of sentences from language phrase books. One Japanese-Turkish and two French-Turkish books were used. (June 2006, 78 pages / 9.5cmx15cm / b&w / offset printing)

• Bent 003: Emre Hünerh
  

Like a collector, Hüner builds an archive of things. Painting them by hand in tempera, he groups and categorizes each element and files it on a page. The archive is followed by the unfolding of a layered world. Dystopian images of laboratories, mines and ice-lands where human industry and invention are fringed by decay and decomposition. Every single detail in the images is to be found in the archive on the first pages. Digitally cloning, fitting, attaching the parts, Hüner constructs a whole as it suggests itself from the parts. (February 2007, 48 pages / 20cmx27cm / colour / offset printing)

• Bent 004: SSS – Shore Scene Soundtrack / Themes and Variations for Carpet
  

Artist: Cevdet Erek
SSS can be seen as an attempt to share a discovery. It explains in detail to the reader how one can mimic the sound of the sea, how this can be done simply for oneself or formally as a performance. The required state of mind for making the imitation is treated with the same precision as technique and necessary equipment. Humorously but without irony, Erek constructs a subjective guide, passing from a contemplation on the imitation of nature, through a step-by-step manual to a form of written music. (February 2008, 64 pages / 13.5cmx19cm / b&w / offset printing)

• Bent 005: KILAVUZ
  

Artist: Atıl Kunst
KILAVUZ is a guide to the standardized tests SBS, OKS and OYS. These are tests taken by all Turkish students at different stages of their school careers. Their scores determine if, where and on which level they will proceed in their studies. A selection of questions from these tests is reproduced. Reading through them one is confronted by themes and suppositions that permeate the questions, subtly revealing the presumptions and state of mind that inform these questions and the way in which they reflect current events in contemporary Turkey. Illuminating in different way is the index in the back of the book which dryly lists how often certain words or used. (March 2009, 560 pages / 13cmx19cm / b&w / offset printing)

An Interrupted History of Punk and Underground Resources in Turkey 1978-1999
Editors: Sezgin Boynik, Tolga Güldallı

This book researches the development of the Punk and underground movement in Turkey. With interviews with local bands and witnesses of the period, over a hundred visuals and the complementary CD, it is the first of its kind and is a fascinating source on Punk and its place in Turkey’s recent cultural history. (November 2007, 576 pages CD / 16cmx22cm / b&w / offset printing

Fairs and Exhibitions

09 – 2011 New York Art Book Fair, PS1, New York
06 – 2011 The Book Coop: e-flux journal & network, Art Basel, Basel
11-2010 “Salon Light” by CNEAI, Paris, Fr; Artists’ Books Fair
12-2009 Centre Pompidou, Paris, Fr.: Artist Book International, presentation of the Bent Books
10-2009 New York Art Book Fair, PS1, New York, U.S.: Artist’s book fair by Printed Matter
09-2009 Ljubljana Bienale, Exhibition of Bent Books at Skuc Galeria, Ljubljana
04-2009 Paper Art View, Art book fair, Brussels
10-2008 New York Art Book Fair, Ph. de Pury, NY, U.S.: Artist’s book fair by Printed Matter
05-2008 Schinkel Pavillon, 5th Berlin Biennale, De: Exhibition Masist Gül/Bent 001
05-2008 KW, 5th Berlin Biennale, De: One Night Stand by Bent
07-2007 “Published and be Damned”, London, UK; Artists’ Books Fair
06-2007 Etablissement d’en Face, Brussels, Be; Exhibition Masist Gül/Bent001
05-2007 Platform Garanti C.A.C, Istanbul, Tr; Bent presentation
02-2007 Botkyrka Konsthall, Stokholm, S; Artists’ Books Exhibition
11-2006 “Salon Light” by CNEAI, Paris, Fr; Artists’ Books Fair

Selected Bookstores

– Robinson Crusoe Bookstore, Istanbul
– Le Monte-en-l’air, Paris
– L’endroit, Rennes
– Serpentine, London
– V Bookshop, London
– Rough Trade, London
– Pro-qm, Berlin
– Motto, Berlin
– Printed Matter, New York
– New Museum, New York
– Inc. livros e edicoes de autor, Porto
– Boekie Woekie, Amsterdam
– Contemporary Center for Architecture, Montreal
– Taiyo Kimura, Japan
– The Book Society, Seoul
– Dynasty Zine, Athens
– Útúrdúr, Reykjavík

Selected Collections

– Cneai, Chatou
– Fonds BKVB, Amsterdam
– Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
– MACBA, Consorci del Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Barcelona
– Bidoun Library
– Centre Pompidou, Bibliotheque Kandinsky, Paris
– ARTER, Vehbi Koc Foundation, Istanbul