In a world grappling with the elusive nature of memory and the ever-evolving self, artist Can Yağız offers a profound and visceral artistic exploration, comparing the very essence of identity to the forgotten fragments found in an old coat pocket. Yağız’s evocative works, which delve into the materiality of everyday life, are set to be part of the highly anticipated “Conceptual Romance” group exhibition, opening at the Ely Center of Contemporary Art in New Haven on September 14, 2025.
For Yağız, the inspiration often begins with the seemingly mundane. “Similar to the first cold day of the year, when you grab a coat you haven’t worn in a while and put your hands in the pockets, and find a piece of a receipt, a used tissue, a caramel wrapper, and a band-aid, also used. And not recognize who these fragments belong to,” Yağız reflects on his work.
This powerful analogy underpins his philosophy that the self, far from being an enduring thread, is fragile and can fragment, making it challenging to reconcile memories with who one perceives themselves to be. “Material had memory, in how a tissue soaked and how an envelope scuffed. It rendered progression,” he explains
His new work includes pieces that incorporate newspapers. “When young, I used to receive newspaper clippings from my grandmother,” he recalls. “Just bits of headlines, articles, or an extra insert she must have thought I should be reading. I think everyone to some extent cuts, snips and then arranges them. It feels natural to collage with.”
Yağız found printmaking to be uniquely suited to his interests. The discipline’s inherent qualities of repetition and fatigue resonate deeply with his exploration of time’s passage and the slow unfolding of events. His artistic process is less about rigid planning and more about intimate collaboration with the material itself.
“I often print without cleaning the plate, with each repeat, the image gets blurrier, more dissolved,” he said. “The body, if it appears at all, dissolves too. It stops being an image but more of a residue. This isn’t just in form, I think bodies are residues.”
One of his influences is the German artist Dieter Roth (1930-1998). “I enjoy Dieter Roth’s work;in how I perceive it, as he moves away from the book but still with concerns of the book, so it’s more about making a composite object,” said Yağız. “Things being bound with or encased in chocolate. And that they exist on borrowed time. I don’t think any chocolate makers ever intended for others to see how the fat of chocolate seeps out over time.”
“I’m less didactic in how I do work, it’s not usually planning something out and executing it,” he explains. “Working with material and seeing where it goes… I walk in on them.” Some of his techniques include sunlight bleaching paper or an obstruction creating a silhouette that transforms a simple sheet into a historical document, rich with context.
Influenced by Turkish philosophers and the profound significance of found objects, Yağız incorporates items such as newspaper clippings, discarded mail, and even crumpled paper from his own pockets into his practice. His minimalist recent works often focus on bodily interactions and the subtle indications of time’s relentless march.
“It’s so easy to feel at a standstill, being in a time that refuses to move forward,” he said. “Then you notice a stack of four newspapers on the doormat and realize, it’s been four days.”
Beyond two-dimensional pieces, Yağız’s oeuvre includes performance art, such as a compelling sound piece, and sculptural installations like a piece featuring a fridge and glasses, further pushing the boundaries of material memory, as well as video art.
The upcoming “Conceptual Romance” exhibition, curated by esteemed curator Jared Quinton, celebrates the Ely Center’s 10-year anniversary and will feature the works of 23 artists. Yağız will showcase four pieces, including a captivating nine-minute looped video titled “Kettle.”
Of the work, he notes, “by end of the loop, most of the water evaporates so the kettle gets silent and periodically gets whispery, and dry heaves as it continues to be full blast on the stove.” This piece promises to be a poignant meditation on depletion and persistence, characteristic of Yağız’s approach.
Can Yağız graduated with his BFA in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2018. His solo exhibitions include “Not today either” (2024) at the Ely Center of Contemporary Art and “Büro” (2018) at the John Fonda Gallery. His work has also been featured in notable group exhibitions across New York, Beijing, Boston, and New Haven, and he participated in an artist residency in Slovenia in 2017.
Speaking on his new work, Yağız explains: “There’s one type of crayon I use to make prints. I am consistently jealous of what photographs usually imply, because even if an image is a blur and you can’t tell what you’re looking at, and all you can decipher is a blob, you still know it’s pointed at something. You might not know what that “blob” is, but you know it probably exists. Print has a similar dynamic, and running the same print without any kind of reset breaks the image down.”
“I tend to keep everything and hold onto them for a while before deciding whether to throw it away or not. That includes newspapers too and they are a torrent that easily takes over a room. I think a lot about fatigue and being unable to keep up, and boulders of newspaper feels accurate, tangible, physical, almost personified form.
“Conceptual Romance” will run from September 14 to November 2, 2025, offering audiences a unique opportunity to experience Can Yağız’s profound reflections on self, memory, and the silent stories held within the objects we leave behind. For more information about the artist, visit cyagiz.com.
