lives here and there

Betül Aksu‘de ‘da yaşıyor
lives here and there
2022
Installation
Cardboard boxes, various tapes, birch plywood, castor wheels
130 × 75 × 75 cm

This installation explores the experience of constant relocation in a time marked by the “unprecedented.” After moving into her nineteenth home in 2021, the artist gathers memories that both follow and break Turkish vowel harmony (Büyük Ünlü Uyumu). Central to the work is the Turkish locative suffix “-de / -da,” which indicates belonging “in” or “at” a place. As place names change, so does the suffix, reflecting the fluidity of belonging and memory.

Composed of nineteen cardboard boxes of various sizes, each wrapped with five types of adhesive tape that catch light, peel away, resist heat or water, or reveal surfaces beneath, the installation sits on a moving platform. This ongoing assembly and disassembly echoes the instability of place and belonging.

Exhibition2022 Kronos Orada Değildi, altatölye, curated by İrem Hasçiftçi Kurt, Ankara, Türkiye