Ramazan Can: I Was a Stranger Here

Anna Laudel Ankara presents "I Was a Stranger Here", a solo exhibition by Ramazan Can, on view from 18 September to 21 November 2026. Exploring space, belonging and movement, the show examines how an object can take on new meanings once it is placed in a different context. The carpet is the point of departure. Rather than treating it as a traditional motif or a merely aesthetic surface, the artist approaches it as an object that carries traces of migration, production and collective memory. For the Yörük communities, the shift from a nomadic to a settled way of life changed not only where people lived, but also how they produced, worked and lived together. Drawing on research that Can has carried out in and around Manisa since 2011, the works follow the material and cultural shifts surrounding this transition. The carpet holds traces of these changes, carrying a history that continues to unfold through its use and meaning. Bringing carpet and concrete together, the exhibition sets movement and settlement in dialogue. It does not present them as opposites, but considers how each material transforms the meaning of the other. "I Was a Stranger Here" thus reflects not only on an object's entry into the field of art, but also on how belonging is constructed and how objects are redefined by their context.