Diane Dal-Pra’s artworks question the function of material possessions – how they can provide a sense of security or define our habits.
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Born in 1991 in Périgueux, Diane Dal-Pra now lives and works in Paris. Having exhibited in Italy, the UK, and France, she uses oil paints to draw objects and simplified bodies on large canvases and she recently entered the roster of one of the most important players of contemporary art, namely Massimo De Carlo Gallery.
The central theme of her works is the duality of our relationship with possessions. Rituals and superstitions around objects give a sense of stability and permanence, and in turn, the objects we own engulf us and our identities as well as being a source of comfort.
This duality takes shape in the artist’s work, Diane Dal-Pra “translates the ‘latent states of consciousness that she experiences during insomnia into the dream-like atmosphere of her works", says Massimo De Carlo regarding her latest exhibition ‘Private Ceremonies’ in London, in March 2022.
In her paintings, sculptural figures - a collection of different objects and corporal forms with varying textures - become a ‘physical support’ in these states of insomnia. The titles of the works featured in the exhibition all relate to the passing of time and insomnia – ‘Suspended Time’, ‘Midnight Disorder’, ‘Vanishing Point’ etc.
Layered and veiled objects are difficult to read as if they were seen when shifting in and out of dreamlike states.
In other words, this artist also captures the tensions, where lines blend and overlap – like in the work ‘Night walk’ (2021), featured on a limited-edition scarf for the project ‘Silk meets Art’ - a collaboration between Kooness and the great couture house Ratti.
Overall, Diane Dal-Pra's work explores the relationship between the body and the objects we own, and her latest show, ‘Private Ceremonies’, brought together a selection of works reflecting on these themes.
Cover image: Diane Dal-Pra, Vanishing Point, 2021, Courtesy of MASSIMODECARLO.
Written by Zoë Rivas Zanello