Art On İstanbul opens its new season with a solo exhibition by Canan Dağdelen, whose practice spans Vienna and Istanbul. The exhibition, titled “İkili YAPI”, features Dağdelen’s latest works and will be on view from September 16 – November 13. Deeply engaged with architecture and interpreting architectural forms through diverse content, Dağdelen explores the spiritual dimensions of form in this exhibition, inviting viewers to engage in new cultural readings.
The conceptual starting point of the exhibition is the dual structure of the Haseki Hürrem Sultan Bath, a work by Mimar Sinan. For the gallery’s main space, Dağdelen designed an installation titled “Yansıma” (Reflection), drawing inspiration from the repetition, rhythm, and balance observed in Sinan’s architecture. She defines the critical spatial experience of the dual bath and creates a poetic environment where visitors can develop their own reflections. This paired installation, articulated through porcelain spheres positioned in dialogue with gravity, is complemented by Dağdelen’s handwritten work “Akarak Birleşen”, presenting two interpretations in conversation. The exhibition unites the dual forms inspired by architecture with porcelain objects arranged atop, side by side, and in juxtaposition, echoing the spatial interplay of the dual bath.
The new works exhibit clear, compelling forms that provide viewers with both a spiritual richness in response to the pressures of modern life and an aesthetic presence grounded in contemporary choices of color, material, and compositional elements.
Canan Dağdelen
Canan Dağdelen was born in Istanbul in 1960. She earned her degree from Vienna University of Economics and Business in 1986 and completed her master’s at the University of Applied Arts Vienna in 1991. Since 2003, she has been a lecturer at the same institution. Living in Vienna, Dağdelen has presented installations from various periods, including the comprehensive exhibition “Selâm_MEKAN” at the Doha Katara Foundation in Qatar (2014). Her recent works have been shown at the MAK Museum Vienna (“Sign Taken for Wonders”), Lentos Museum Linz (“Ten Years Lentos”), Istanbul Modern (“Past and Future”), and the Ossiach Monastery, while her “Yeniden Kuran Bellek” exhibition was held at Galeri Nev Ankara.
Her works are included in international collections such as Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz, 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art Kanazawa, Japan, and the Lower Austria City Museum, as well as in prominent Turkish collections including Istanbul Modern, Arter Vehbi Koç Foundation, and numerous private collections.
