Ahmet Öğüt on Parasitic Institutions and the Politics of Art

In an interview with Artribune, artist Ahmet Öğüt discusses his practice of working parasitically within institutions, his recent exhibition 'Neither Artificial Nor Intelligent' at A Plus A gallery in Venice, and projects like The Silent University and Bakunin’s Barricade. Öğüt, born in Silvan in 1981, creates works that challenge authorship, institutional boundaries, and cognitive biases. His exhibition features oil portraits of artists paired with definitions, forcing viewers to confront their own stereotypes. The title references Kate Crawford's Atlas of AI, debunking AI's neutrality. Öğüt describes himself as a facilitator and negotiator, not a traditional author. The Silent University, an educational platform for refugees and migrants, operates autonomously as a 'parasitic institution' within host organizations. Bakunin’s Barricade, inspired by Mikhail Bakunin’s 1849 proposal, tests institutional limits: when activists requested to borrow the work for a pro-Palestine protest, the Stedelijk Museum could not comply, revealing contradictions between institutional ethics and action. Öğüt argues institutions must embrace risk and avoid self-censorship, especially during global crises. The interview was conducted by Giulia Mariachiara Galiano, an independent curator based in Venice.