In tandem with Creative Time, 21c Durham has raised artist Ahmet Ögüt’s Pledges of Allegiance flag, If You’d Like To See This Flag in Colors, Burn It (In memory of Marinus Boezem).
The flag is inspired by Dutch visual artist Marinus Boezem’s postcard-size photograph titled If you’d like to see this photo in colors, burn it (1967-1969). It will be on view at 15 cultural institutions and universities across 13 states: Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Texas.
Ahmet Ögüt is an internationally renowned, sociocultural initiator and conceptual artist. He consistently seeks out collaborators from outside the art world, finding unique ways to grapple with complex social issues ranging from migration to civil unrest with a sense of humor.
“My flag is inspired by a small conceptual work by artist Marinus Boezem made in the late 60s, If you’d like to see this photo in colors, burn it,” says Ahmet Ögüt. “Boezem’s instructions in this artwork were never actualized, but the performative potential of the artwork brought it to life. Similar to his invitation to burn the photo, I wanted to create a flag that could inspire the imagination, instead of limiting viewers to predefined colors and symbols, and leave them feeling inert.”
Ögüt’s flag will be raised across the following 15 locations:
- Creative Time Headquarters – 59 E 4th St, New York, NY
- 21c Museum Hotel Durham – 1 11 Corcoran St, Durham, NC
- The Commons, in partnership with the Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas -1340 Jayhawk Blvd, Lawrence, KS
- Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University – 114 Central Ave, Ithaca, NY
- John Nicholas Brown Center for Public Humanities and Cultural Heritage, Brown University – 357 Benefit Street, Providence, RI 02906
- KMAC Museum – 715 W Main St, Louisville, KY
- MASS MoCA – 1040 Mass MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247
- Mid-America Arts Alliance – 2018 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City, MO
- Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit – 4454 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI
- RISD Museum – 224 Benefit Street, Providence, RI
- SPACE – 536 Congress Street, Portland, ME
- Texas State Galleries – 233 West Sessom Drive, San Marcos, TX
- The Union for Contemporary Art – 2423 N 24th Street, Omaha, NE
- University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum – 3821 USF Holly Dr, Tampa, FL
- Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University – 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ
ABOUT AHMET ÖGÜT
Ahmet Ögüt was born in Diyarbakir, Turkey in 1981. He is an internationally renowned sociocultural initiator and conceptual artist. For his work, Ögüt consistently seeks out collaborators from outside of the art world, finding unique ways to grapple with complex social issues ranging from migration to civil unrest with a sense of humor. Ögüt shaped the installation of the NSK State Pavilion, a satellite project taking place during the 57th Venice Biennale.
ABOUT CREATIVE TIME
Creative Time, the New York-based public arts non-profit, is committed to working with artists on the dialogues, debates, and dreams of our time. Creative Time presents the most innovative art in the public realm, providing new platforms to amplify artists’ voices, including the Creative Time Summit, an international conference convening at the intersection of art and social justice.
Since 1974, Creative Time has produced over 350 groundbreaking public art projects that ignite the imagination, explore ideas that shape society, and engage millions of people around the globe. Since its inception, the non-profit organization has been at the forefront of socially engaged public art, seeking to convert the power of artists’ ideas into works that inspire and challenge the public. Creative Time projects stimulate dialogue on timely issues, and initiate a dynamic experience between artists, sites, and audiences.
Pictured: Ahmet Ögüt’s flag, If You’d Like To See This Flag in Colors, Burn It (In memory of Marinus Boezem).
