Life & practice
About Can Maden
The artist
Body, nature, memory.
Born in Istanbul, 1961. Lives and works in Istanbul.
Can Maden is an Istanbul-based artist whose practice spans painting, drawing, collage, digital images, installation and video. She completed undergraduate and graduate studies in painting at Mimar Sinan University and a master's degree in Museum Studies at Yıldız Technical University. Her work explores relationships between the body, nature and personal experience through layered images and materials. Alongside her studio practice, she has taught art in schools and universities and worked in museum education. Her solo exhibition Vital Flow / Can Suyu takes place at Mine Sanat Galerisi DENEYSEL from 1 to 31 October 2026.
Material & thought
Watercolor, ink, coffee, plant extracts and collage appear alongside scanned and digital images. Moving between drawing, paper, installation and video, Maden brings the body's forms into conversation with nature, memory and lived experience.
Explore the workA life around art
Maden grew up in a creative family. Her father, Sait Maden, was a graphic designer, poet and translator; her mother, Ayten Maden, wrote and illustrated children's books. Her brother, Sarp Maden, is a guitarist and composer.
Education
- 1992-1996
Yıldız Technical University
MA, Museum Studies
- 1985-1987
Mimar Sinan University
MFA, Painting
- 1980-1984
Mimar Sinan University
Undergraduate diploma, Painting
Teaching & museum work
- 2017-2018
TED Rönesans College
Head of Art Department; art and design teaching
- 2013-2017
Terakki Foundation Schools
Head of Art Department
- 2008-2013
Yeditepe University and Koç University
Art teaching: Yeditepe, 2008-2013; Koç, 2010-2013
- 2007
Istanbul Modern
Head of Education and Social Projects
- 1997-2007
Robert College
Teaching studio art and art history
- 1994-1995
Üsküdar American Academy
Teaching art history and applied art
1990-2026
Selected exhibitions
A selection from an exhibition history spanning early collaborations to Vital Flow / Can Suyu.
View the exhibition archive- 2026
Vital Flow / Can Suyu
Solo exhibition. Mine Sanat Galerisi DENEYSEL, Istanbul. 1-31 October 2026.
- 2025
Yeni Zaman / New Era
CaresseArt / Mine Sanat, Bodrum
- 2024-2025
Akıştaki Formlar: Bedenin Anatomisi
Mine Sanat Galerisi DENEYSEL, Istanbul
- 2022
Düşçü / Dreamer
Solo exhibition. Mine Sanat Deneysel, Istanbul
- 2015
Nothing Is Exceptional
Greuer & Breckner Art Gallery, Düsseldorf
- 1990
Installation and happening
With İlhan Şen and Hüseyin Özinal. Töbank Contemporary Art Gallery, Istanbul