River Crossing Puzzle
Installation, 2010
The work by Ahmet Öğüt reminds of the puzzle we have known so well since our childhood - there are those who need to cross the river and there are manifold problems to solve. There is a single boat that can carry either two people, or one person and a dog. There are certain people who cannot travel together, and then there are some who must not be left unattended on the riverbank. And some cannot be together with the dog. And so on, and so on...
Ahmet Öğüt has added a different dimension to the task bestowing his characters with political meaning – there is a bomb disposal technician, a suspicious bag, a soldier, two security-dogs, a suicide bomber, his wife in a wheelchair and his daughter.
In the end, there is the revelation that the moment we start solving the puzzle we also assume that a solution exists. (Z.Z.)
Artist's Bio:
Ahmet Öğüt is a Turkish artist based in Amsterdam. His work encompasses various media – installation, video, drawing and text – and examines society’s constraints, its rules and its absurdities. His recent shows include 12th Istanbul Biennial, 4th Moscow Biennal, 2011 Asian Art Biennial, solo exhibitions in Kunsthalle Lissabon, Museum Villa Stuck Munich, GfZK Leipzig, Kunsthalle Basel etc.