Background:Diana Al-Hadid was born in 1981 in Aleppo, Syria, and raised in Ohio after moving to the States in the sixth grade. When attending Kent State to get her BFA for sculpture, her work focused on comparing her Arab and American backgrounds. She now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She creates sculptures, installations, and drawings, using various different types of materials. Her sculptures are made out of common materials, including wood, plaster, wax, paint, and more. On the other hand, her installations and wall hangings are made out of more industrial materials, such as fiberglass, polymer, steel, and plaster. Al-Hadid makes a point to listen to her materials; she takes her time experimenting with them so they can lead her in the right direction. Both her 2D work and her 3D work explore abstraction and the interaction visual and physical stability, and often transform into architecture. 2008 polystyrene, polymer gypsum, steel, aluminum leaf, pigment 60 x 48 x 90 inches 152.4 x 121.9 x 228.6 cm
My Statement:I personally love how Diana Al-Hadid creates large pieces that seem weightless, because of the way she uses negative space and how she gives the pieces a kind of “lift” that you wouldn’t expect them to have. The inspiration that I drew for my own piece was mostly along these lines; making sure to that I incorporate negative space. I also love the melting, drying, and peeling method she uses in both her paintings and sculptures, and want to incorporate that into the more organic aspects of my piece. I also appreciate how she doesn't force bend the materials to her will, and rather lets them guide her work, not only because it's similar to my own process, but also because I think it adds more depth to the content of her work. Lastly, I was mostly drawn to her work because of the architectural aspect of it, and how they seem to defy gravity and physics. Her pieces seems to take inspiration from architecture while also being architectural pieces at the same time, which is really interesting. Follow these additional links:1) http://www.dianaalhadid.com/exhibitions/the-vanishing-point 2) https://art21.org/watch/new-york-close-up/diana-al-hadids-suspended-reality/ Questions:1. Are there any materials/ techniques that Diana Al-Hadid uses that you may be interested in exploring in the future?
2. In what ways does Diana Al-Hadid blend two dimensional work with works that are in the round? Are her 3D pieces similar to her 2D pieces? 3) How does Diana Al-Hadid draw inspiration from Italian Renaissance paintings? Do you think this impacts the content of her work?
2 Comments
Alex Broening
5/10/2019 09:10:07 am
I really liked the way that you highlighted the way that Al-Hadid incorporated 15th century paintings and frescoes in her three dimensional work. You aptly commented on Al-Hadid's use of negative space, which is something I think everyone should think about and consider in their sculpture as well as their 2D art. I was also drawn to her work for much the same reason as you - I was fascinated by the architectural aspect of her work. I think you should check out Dustin Farnsworth who also works with styles of architecture in his art. Great work!
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MM
5/17/2019 12:29:03 pm
Did you know that she is a VCUarts alum? Just found that out today!
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