'I do not believe that power is a perfectly functioning mechanism. Yes, power is everywhere but with its weaknesses and gaps'. (Ahmet Ö?üt)Ahmet Ö?üt?s quote sets the scene for the selection of works on display at the artist?s solo exhibition, taking place in the Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam. The exhibition, entitled ?Informal Incidents?, comprises photographs, videos, an installation and an auction; the common denominator in all the works on display is the desire for a departure from the norm. For instance, by scheduling an auction at SMBA, which normally is a non-commercial institution, Ö?üt aims at pushing our minds open to new possibilities.
The auction is an example of the artist?s celebration of actions performed in order to question social assumptions and the status quo. Ö?üt praises acts like challenging the ordinary and exploring the gaps. His actions find expression in generally unspectacular but frequently disconcerting events, often recorded and transmitted to the public by use of documentary materials such as photography or video. However, by faking the action documented, Ö?üt simultaneously questions the epistemological status of the documentary material: Can documentary material provide true accounts of fake actions?
Editor: Halil Alt?ndere
Writers: Halil Alt?ndere, Sezgin Boynik, Mika Hannula, November Paynter, Azra Tüzüno?lu
2008, 80 pages, ill., Plastic Cover,Turkish/English
ISBN 978-386895-362-6