Studies for Faustian Bargain
2026
Silkscreen 68,5 x 48,5 cm each
Courtesy of the artist and Zilberman Berlin | Istanbul
Photograph: Kayhan Kaygusuz

THE BLANK CONTEMPORARY ART
99 WORDS WITH IZ ÖZTAT

Since relocating from Istanbul to Berlin in 2023, I have engaged with foundational German-language narratives, like the Faust myth and the Kasperle puppet tradition, to trace how they shape national consciousness and mold compliant citizens. In a cultural landscape where the state dictates the moral lessons to be drawn from its history, I reclaim these narratives to chart Germany’s escalating oppression. Quoting historical engravings and woodcuts, the triptych Studies for Faustian Bargain (2026) is a step in this process, utilizing the Faustian pact to interrogate artistic agency, complicity, and the ideological implications of state funding.