Canan Dağdelen, started working with ceramics in 1978, at the private atelier of Nasip İyem. The following year, she traveled to Austria with the aim of studying at the Academy of Fine Arts, but there, she first enrolled to the University of Economics. In 1986, after accomplishing her economics degree, she enrolled to the Department of Ceramics and Design, where she closely worked with the head of the department, architect Matteo Thun. She opened her first exhibition in Vienna which was repeated with one year interval in Chicago. Later, her solo shows continued in Vienna and in Chicago on a regular basis; in addition to group shows in different cities of Austria, in Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Hungary, Norway, Japan and United States of America. Dağdelen was deemed worthy of the Austrian Design Institute Prize in 1991; to the International Biennial of Ceramics Prize in 1996; and to the Austrian Ministry of Culture Prize in Ceramics in 1998.Her ceramic and porcelain works, as well as her photographs are represented in the 21st Century of Contemporary Art Museum in Kanazawa, Japan; in the State Collections of Austria (Neue Galerie); and in the collections of Fine Arts Academy of Applied Arts. In her atelier in Vienna, Canan Dağdelen continues working on concepts such as “existence” and “dissolution”; “gravity” and “lightness”, “fragility” and “rootedness” which constitute the basis of her art for more than fifteen years.
