Art met architecture with Canan Dağdelen’s exhibition, dual CONSTRUCTION (Istanbul, September 16 — November 13, 2015) at Art ON Istanbul. Dağdelen hails from Istanbul and attended the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Today her studio is based in Vienna. The gallery states of her solo show:
The exhibition titled Dual Construction will bring together recent works of the artist who continues her art practice in Vienna. As an artist who is deeply interested in architecture, Dağdelen interprets architectural forms in relation to different contents. In this exhibition she embarks upon extraordinary experiments examining the spiritual meanings of forms and invites the visitors to undertake new cultural readings through her works.
The starting point of the exhibition is the double structure of Haseki Hürrem Sultan Hammam made by Mimar Sinan, the chief Ottoman architect. Dağdelen was inspired by the elements of repetition, rhythm and balance as implemented in Mimar Sinan’s structures in her installation “Reflection” that she realized for the main space of the gallery. The artist primarily creates a poetic space for the viewers to contemplate on various thoughts by definition of the most important space of this double hammam.

Canan Dağdelen, Reflection, 2015, colored porcelain and fine steel cord, 81 1/2 x 49 1/5 x 119 3/10

Canan Dağdelen, Double HAMMAM II on top, 2015, colored porcelain, 8 7/10 x 6 7/10 x 11 1/5 inches. Click to see a larger image.
Dağdelen constructs this double installation through an analytical use of porcelain spheres and positions the installation in the gallery space such that it stands against gravitation and pairs with “Confluence” that she developed with her handwriting. This double-form structure created through a translation of architectural elements into writing is integrated into a greater whole with porcelain objects created by the placement of double hamam forms one on top of each other, base to base or side by side. The impressive plain forms in Dağdelen’s new works highlight a spiritual richness of content against the impositions of modern times as well as an aesthetical stance for today supported by her choice of colour, material and the movement of installation elements.
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Canan Dağdelen, Double HAMMAM Roxelana, 2015, colored porcelain and graphite, 31 9/10 x 8 7/10 x 6 1/2 inches

Canan Dağdelen, Double HAMMAM IV upside down, 2015, colored porcelain, 10 x 7 1/2 x 12 inches

Canan Dağdelen, Double HAMMAM Untitled, 2015, colored porcelain, 5 1/2 x 5 3/5 x 7 1/5 inches

Canan Dağdelen, Double HAMMAM I upon together, 2015, colored porcelain, 10 x 6 9/10 x 9 4/5 inches. Photographs courtesy of the gallery.

Canan Dağdelen
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