Hello, dear readers,
In this month’s blog post, Bibliopera would like to tell you about two gatherings held at the Arter Library as part of the Arter Learning Program’s Interpretation Activities
The series of talks titled Library Talks at Arter Library aims to provide an environment that will enable new perspectives on literature-art relations. Each event features a different author and focuses on the adventures and subtexts of the books and artefacts discussed, opening up various ways of reading for discussion.
Firstly, under the moderation of our Publications and Content Coordinator, Süreyyya Evren, we hosted Latife Tekin, who has continued to renew Turkey’s literary scene for 40 years, from her novel Sevgili Arsız Ölüm (Dear Shameless Death) published in 1983 to Zamansız (Timeless) published in 2022. Tekin, who places her relationship with nature at the center of her understanding of art, discussed the role of art from the perspective of literature.
In the second part of the series, we hosted Yekta Kopan, a writer known for his close relationship with almost all branches of art. From his first book Fildişi Karası (Ivory Black), (2000) to his latest storybook Bana Kuşlar Söyledi (The Birds Told Me) (2021), in which he looks at life from the world of children, Kopan, who continuously establishes interdisciplinary relationships and compiles information from different lives at the center of his understanding of literature, discussed the role of art from the perspective of literature.
In the third session of the series, we hosted Gündüz Vassaf, a writer known for his extraordinary texts, such as Cehenneme Övgü: Gündelik Hayatta Totalitarizm (Prisoners of Ourselves: Totalitarianism in Everyday Life) (1992). Vassaf discussed art through Caravaggio in his first novel The Rebellion of the Painter (2023).
In the last meeting of the year, we hosted Murat Gülsoy, a writer known for his close approach to visual arts in his writings. After his novel Ressam Vasıf’ın Gizli Aşklar Tarihi (The Secret Loves of Painter Vasıf), in which he focused on the art of painting, Gülsoy talked about his relationship with art through his new novel An Ordinary Day After the Apocalypse.
Library Talks will continue in 2025, and you can follow Arter’s website and social media accounts for updates.
Our second event, the Book Club, which takes place at Arter Library, invites readers to meet around a work of literature.
During the event, participants discuss a single work of literature chosen from a selection of books that are closely or distantly related to Arter’s current or past exhibitions. The Book Club creates a open and inclusive discussion environment where each participant benefits from the perspectives of others while interpreting the selected book from their own point of view, allowing space for different ideas.
The first meeting of the monthly event was organized in December, where we had the opportunity to examine Georges Perec’s novel Un cabinet d’amateur (1979) in connection with the exhibition “Suppose You Are Not” (2024).
In the second session, we discussed José Saramago’s The Cave (2000) in the context of the exhibition “Emre Hüner [Electroizolasyon]: Unknown Parameter Extra-Record” (2021).
In our third meeting, we analyzed Italo Calvino’s philosophical fiction Mr.Palomar (1983) in the context of the group exhibition Locus Solus (2022).
The book that will be discussed during the fourth session of the Book Club, on March is Near the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector, in relation with Arter’s past exhibition On Celestial Bodies.
The Arter Library Team
March 2025
