Lot Essay
Amsterdam based artist Ahmet ögüt studied at the Hacettepe University Fine Art Faculty, Painting Department. Painting, performance, video, sculpture, photography, design, installation - Ahmet ögüt utilizes a variety of artistic media in order to provide multiple ways of accessing his ideas. In his work, he captures ordinary events: actions, articles, and situations which we encounter on a daily basis and take for granted, thereby no longer falling under our range of perception. The shrewd interventions in which Ahmet ögüt positions these everyday occurrences bring the unexpected to the surface: the instituting of national power and the fixing of both social differences and indifferences. However, idealism, hope, individual resistance, and powerlessness also become apparent. In recent years his work was shown extensively on an international basis at for example the New Museum, New York; Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (2008) and the 5th Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2008). Solo shows were on view at Kuenstlerhaus Bremen (2009); Kunsthalle Basel (2008); Centre d'Art Santa Monica, Barcelona (2008); The Museum of Modern Art of Slovenia (2005). He has been selected for The Pavilion of Turkey at the 53rd Venice Biennial in 2009.