Time, Fragmented asks what it means for a place to be shaped by complex social and environmental histories, and how distinct but interrelated histories coalesce to create a collective narrative. Along these lines, the exhibition considers contemporary practices of unearthing, both literally and figuratively, and investigates remnants of times past, piecing together the story that unfolds thereafter. In the context of shifting regional powers and migrating stories, Time, Fragmented illuminates the (hi)stories foundational to modern-day Turkey, tracing diasporas of culture, thought, and practice.
Materials entail historic postcards and photographs from the turn of the twentieth century displayed from a family collection by İbrahim Selim Ergöz. Additionally, building and ornamental materials from the Joel Snyder Materials Collection are displayed alongside photographs and maps from historic expeditions from the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures Archives. Finally, multi-media works from New Orleans-based Turkish artist, Deniz Türkoğlu Hewes are presented alongside personal ephemera from the artist and curator. Through a variety of items from polyphonic sources, Time, Fragmented engages with the many layers of history—witnessed through a mosaic of lived reality, filtered through glimpses of past experiences—that live in time.
Curator
Time, Fragmented is curated by Defne Ergöz, BA/MA '27, an Environment, Geography, and Urbanization major and Architectural Studies minor in the College, concurrently pursuing an MA in Art History.
Artists
Deniz Türkoğlu Hewes (Turkish, b. 1997)
Deniz Türkoğlu Hewes lives and works in New Orleans, Louisiana since 2024. Türkoğlu Hewes is a conceptual photographer, building worlds for a single frame that carry the immaterial nature of emotions to a physical realm, portraying their silent dictate on lived experiences. The artist focuses on conflicting collective and personal agendas, evaluating dynamics between discipline and intuition, culture and callings. Her Turkish identity and upbringing rooted in strong familial ties appears in her recent work completed in İstanbul. The coexistence of culture and nature in her work criticizes the misconception of full control over emotional environments, similar to the power assumed over natural ecosystems. Türkoğlu Hewes studied fine arts, film and theater at Northwestern University. Her work has been exhibited in the 2025 Louisiana Contemporary at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. She has been included in exhibitions at Soho Photo Gallery in New York City, Barın Han in İstanbul, and the Contemporary Art Center in New Orleans.
İbrahim Selim Ergöz (Turkish, b. 1971)
İbrahim Selim Ergöz, the curator’s father, currently resides in Westchester, New York. Ergöz has been collecting antique ephemera since he was fifteen, with a vast collection spanning his interests in historical documentation and postal items, especially as it concerns the Middle East North Africa region. His archive ranges from widely-available materials to rare collectibles. Time, Fragmented is the first instance Ergöz’s collection will be on public display.
Support
CWAC Exhibitions is organized by the Department of Art History’s Visual Resources Center. Additional support for the exhibition is provided by the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, the Committee on Environment, Geography, and Urbanization, the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities, and Architectural Studies.
The CWAC Exhibitions team includes Katie Chen, Scarlet Ding, Jiayi Laura Feng, Natalie Hsu, Grace Newby, Kseniya Portnaya, Stephanie Strother, and Yanlin Zhu.
Visit
The Cochrane-Woods Art Center is open:
Mondays 8:30am–6pm
Tuesdays 8:30am–6pm
Wednesdays 8:30am–8pm
Thursdays 8:30am–6pm
Fridays 8:30–7pm
and by appointment
Related Programming
- Opening Celebration, Cochrane-Woods Art Center, Wednesday, October 21, 6:00 PM
- “Stories Objects Hold: Exploring (Non)Material Remnants of Türkiye: Curator and Artist in Conversation on Time, Fragmented,” Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, Breasted Hall, Thursday, October 22, 5:00 PM
Accessibility
CWAC Exhibitions is committed to accessibility for all our exhibitions. However, the second floor of the Cochrane-Woods Art Center is accessible only by stairs. To request an accommodation or alternative format, please email visualresources@uchicago.edu.
Image
Detail from Yeni Mahalle, Boğaz (Üsküdar, Bosphorus), postcard, 1908.