[CONCEPTUAL ART & THE FIRST OFFICIAL “INSTALLATION” & THE FIRST ARTIST BOOK OF THE GROUP & ONE OF THE EARLIEST ARTIST BOOKS IN TURKEY] Sanat olarak betik. Texts by Carl Andre, Sükrü Aysan, Robert Barry, Joseph Kosuth, Sol Lewitt,

COMPLETE TITLE: [CONCEPTUAL ART & THE FIRST OFFICIAL “INSTALLATION” & THE FIRST ARTIST BOOK OF THE GROUP & ONE OF THE EARLIEST ARTIST BOOKS IN TURKEY] Sanat olarak betik. Texts by Carl Andre, Sükrü Aysan, Robert Barry, Joseph Kosuth, Sol Lewitt, Robert Morris, Bernar Venet

SANAT TANIMI TOPLULUGU [i.e. THE DEFINITION OF ART GROUP]: (SÜKRÜ AYSAN, SERHAT KIRA, AHMET ÖKTEM with ALPARSLAN BALOGLU AND ISMAIL SARAY).

Sanat Tanimi Toplulugu / Istanbul Devlet Güzel Sanatlar Galerisi, Istanbul, 1980.

Original wrappers. 4to. (27,5 x 20 cm). In Turkish. 32, [30] p., colour and b/w ills., serigraph and mimeograph printing on paper and fabric, a folded plate (Ismail Saray's photo). Printed to only 200 copies, and all copies were numbered. This is no. 49. (49/200). 

This rare and significant exhibition catalogue features translations from English and French by Sükrü Aysan, Nazlı Damlacı, and Faruk Ulay, accompanied by significant works by the artists executed on paper, fabric, and nylon. The first 32 pages present key texts on Conceptual Art, including: Kavramsal Sanat (Conceptual Art) by Sükrü Aysan; Felsefenin Sonu, Sanatın Başlangıcı (The End of Philosophy and the Beginning of Art) by Joseph Kosuth; Kavramsal Sanat Üzerine Paragraflar (Paragraphs on Conceptual Art) and Kavramsal Sanat Üzerine Tümceler (Sentences on Conceptual Art) by Sol LeWitt; Not by Bernar Venet; Giriş Notu by Joseph Kosuth; and İnekleri Düzene Sokmak İçin Bir Yöntem (A Method for Sorting Cows) by Robert Morris. Many of these texts represent the first -and in some cases the only- translations of these foundational works on Conceptual Art into Turkish. The catalogue also stands as the group’s first artists’ book, the first exhibition catalogue and one of the earliest examples of artist books published in Turkey. The book was printed for the exhibition of the group held from March 22 to April 5, 1980.

“The Definition of Art Group” represents an original approach to Conceptual Art in Turkey, which was established by Şükrü Aysan and İsmail Saray to explore the structure and essence of art. Şükrü Aysan graduated from the Painting Department of the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts (today Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University) in 1969. He continued his artistic development in Paris, France, between 1970 and 1975. From the outset of his stay in Paris, he engaged with leading avant-garde movements of the time, including Minimal Art, Arte Povera, Land Art, Body Art, and Conceptual Art. In 1972, he began producing his first series of works connected to Conceptual Art, entitled Sistem, and in the same year, he sent a comprehensive dossier to Adnan Çoker in Turkey, comprising texts in Turkish and visual documents related to the movements, with a particular focus on Conceptual Art. Since returning to Turkey and taking up his position at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1975, Aysan has been an active presence in the Turkish art scene as an artist, educator, and organizer of artistic activities, consistently promoting the recognition, understanding, and dissemination of Conceptual Art through books, articles, exhibitions, collaborative projects, and other initiatives.

Aysan’s 1976 exhibition, titled Sergi and held at the DGSA Mimar Sinan Hall, was the first Conceptual Art exhibition in Turkey to consciously incorporate spatial installation as a central element. In 1977, he further developed his avant-garde approach by involving students he was teaching Conceptual Art at the Academy. This original project, which would later become known as the Sanat Tanımı Topluluğu (Art Definition Group), functioned as both an educational platform and an experimental presentation of Conceptual Art, demonstrating the principles and scope of the movement. The group was never intended to be a conventional art collective; from the beginning, it aimed to constitute an original artistic event.

The first spatial installation by the group took place from 10 to 29 November 1978 at the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts Gallery. Subsequently, between 22 March and 5 April 1980, the group presented the Sanat Tanımı Topluluğu exhibition in the same space, marking the first time the collective was publicly referred to under this name. Refined works were arranged collectively within the gallery space, constituting a fully realized installation. Within this framework, the artist book Sanat Olarak Betik (Script as Art) was also published; while the form had previously been explored in Turkey by İsmail Saray (Leonardo), Aysan, and the group were the first to explicitly articulate and evaluate the concept in this manner. The book contained texts on Conceptual Art, including contributions by Şükrü Aysan and Joseph Kosuth.

In 1980, the group produced the work Bir Serginin Makrografisi LWTLP1. In January 1981 (5-10 January), the collective presented an installation in its workspace that included the artist books (betikler) created by the group alongside those of prominent international Conceptual artists, such as Art & Language and Kosuth, in an installation titled Betiksanat, accompanied by a corresponding publication under the same title.

As of March 2026, no copies could be traced worldwide in OCLC or in any Turkish libraries.