The Library and the Archive

Garanti Gallery-Platform Garanti (GG-PG) Library Archive has been an ongoing project for over 6 years. It has evolved and expanded exponentially since Platform was first initiated in 2001, and now totals over 16,000 publications. These include, but are not limited to, magazine publications, exhibition catalogues, rare books, catalogue raisonnés, and books on theory and philosophy. Our mission for this ongoing project is to create an archive that is more than simply an amalgam of contemporary art, architecture, and urbanism- is to expand our collection in these areas and to also acquire significant publications and volumes that are in danger of falling into obscurity.

The archive of files on artists from Turkey contains comprehensive data for over 100 artists, a resource that has proven to be of insurmountable importance for local and international curators and art professionals. A more recent endeavor has been the creation of a section for the archive that focuses on the history of design and architecture in Turkey. We have also been amassing a curatorial archive and a history of contemporary art exhibitions in Turkey that hosts coherent records of institutions and artist initiatives.

Most recently the library of the late artist Huseyin Alptekin was acquired and cataloged.

Our international publications have also played a seminal role in the education of students, researchers, and academicians, as well as the public at large. Our collection includes a wide range of international periodicals. Furthermore, our archives include portfolios, video installation pieces, and updated biographies and exhibition histories of numerous international artists, as well as exhibition archives.

In the recent years, the archives were substantially expanded and solidified. Increasingly, our efforts have been directed towards the acquisition and donation process. A critical aspect of the project is to communicate and display GG-PG’s ever-growing archives, which combine many acquisitions with thousands of donations from friendly institutions, artists, critics and curators.

Platform was invited as one of two not-for-profit spaces to participate in ‘Frieze Projects’, 2006. The project, ‘collecting point’, was a drop-off point for art publications, periodicals, and other materials that were displayed for reference at the Frieze Art Fair. Platform's concept was to turn the economy of the art fair around to set up a stand that did not exchange goods for cash, but, on the contrary, to simply exchange a promise for publications. These publications that were made available for further research at Platform were also an additional incentive for the project.

The collection is classified according to international rules. The library uses Anglo-American Cataloging Rules II, Dewey Decimal Classification (20th ed.) and Library of Congress Subject Headings (23rd ed.). The administration of the library and the access to the collection are enabled through a software, Yordam 2001. The library catalogue is also available on our website.