Betül Aksu


wherefrom affix 0: wherefrom
nereli eki 0: nereli
wherefrom affix 1: immigrant
nereli eki 1: göçmen
wherefrom affix 2: from Vranofça 
nereli eki 2: Vranofçalı
wherefrom affix 3: from Nergiz 
nereli eki 3: Nergizli
wherefrom affix 4: from Karşıyaka 
nereli eki 4: Karşıyakalı
wherefrom affix 5: from Izmir 
nereli eki 5: İzmirli
wherefrom affix 6: Aegean 
nereli eki 6: Egeli
wherefrom affix 7: from Türkiye 
nereli eki 7: Türkiyeli
wherefrom affix 8: Mediterranean 
nereli eki 8: Akdenizli
wherefrom affix 9: Macedonian
nereli eki 9: Makedon
wherefrom affix 10: Yugoslav 
nereli eki 10: Yugoslav
wherefrom affix 11: Middle Eastern 
nereli eki 11: Orta Doğulu
wherefrom affix 12: West Asian 
nereli eki 12: Batı Asyalı
wherefrom affix 13: from the Earth 
nereli eki 13: Dünyalı
Photos: Ege Canpolat & Cevahir Akbaş





Betül Aksunereli eki (wherefrom affix)2024Carbon ink on paper and cotton thread, each 30 × 42 cm (unframed), 14 pieces

An exploration of the question of where I am from, starting from the street where I first opened my eyes to the world, and expanding over time in an ever-widening circle.

 Merve Akar Akgün, Unlimited: wherefrom affix series explores issues of belonging and identity through grammar. Grammatically, the suffix "-li," which determines belonging, functions as a marker of identity connecting the place and the subject. However, can we also think that this suffix presents a fluid definition of belonging that can change over time? Does the state of being "from somewhere" point to something fixed, or is it, in a linguistic sense, a dynamic and evolving process?

Betül Aksu: wherefrom affix is a linguistic proposition, in which the state of being "from somewhere" evolves and shifts through the use of the "-li" suffix in Turkish. In step zero, it examines the grammar rule itself, and in the following steps, it looks at how this rule is applied and the shifting state of belonging to a place. We witness a journey over time, from being an immigrant, to being from Vranofça, Nergiz, Karşıyaka, Izmir, Aegean, Turkish, Mediterranean, Macedonian, Yugoslav, Middle Eastern, West Asian and from the Earth. As we follow the steps, we see that the state of being from a place is inflected both by the first-person singular (İzmir-li-y-im) and by others (İzmir-li değil-sin).

I approached this work by focusing on the tension between feeling a sense of belonging to a place and being from a place. I wondered whether transforming a root, assumed to be fixed, into a suffix could create a space for belonging within the structure. I explored whether this space could accommodate both my own subjectivity and that of others who come from different places. In doing so, I became hopeful that I could examine belonging and its bureaucratic carbon-copy, identity through a living language.




Exhibition2025    v,o,w,e,l,h,a,r,m,o,n,y, Betül Aksu & Memed Erdener, Hayy Open Space, Izmir



Photos: Ege Canpolat

Press
2025    review Dünyalı Olmak ya da Olmamak, Ozan Özkan, Sanat Dünyamız, 204, sf. 142-147 (TR)
              review “Ses Uyumu”na deri-ben üzerinden bir yaklaşım, Ezgi Ceren Kayırıcı, Argonotlar (TR)
              interview s,e,s,u,y,u,m,u, Merve Akar Akgün, ArtUnlimited (TR)
              video Betül Aksu ve Memed Erdener - s,e,s,u,y,u,m,u - Hayy Open Space, İzmirArt (TR)