Diana Orving
Born in 1985, Swedish textile artist Diana Orving creates exquisite sculptural installations in a subtle manner, aiming to express a sense of movement and individual emotions. Her works, utilizing textiles as a medium, delve into themes such as origins, protection, memory, and self-dissolution. Before she became an artist, she was a fashion designer.
Diana Orving's artistic style is associative and inherently fluid, attempting to express and interpret states of mind, social relationships, and processes of psychological or physical change through form and movement. Her works have a strong presence, and the twisted and rotating postures create a dynamic dance. Their silhouettes are cast on the walls of the surrounding space, interacting with each other, metaphorically alluding to the intangible and untouchable.
What do you think are the commonalities between fashion, dance, and art?
I believe that fashion, art, and dance share a common thread of wordless communication. Personally, I am someone who listens more than I speak, and I think I am drawn to these forms of expression because they offer a universal language that resonates with my desire to infuse life with poetry in all forms.
How has your family environment influenced you?
I grew up in a creative household surrounded by my mother's fabrics, sewing machines, and looms, as well as my father's architectural drawings and models. My mother, an artist, worked extensively with textiles during my childhood, immersing me in her materials. She encouraged my early use of her paint colors, fabrics, and sewing machine, fostering a natural way for me to experiment and express myself through creation.
Fabric is your primary medium for creation. When and why did you choose it?
My childhood experiences, immersed in my mother's textile art, had a profound impact on me. I've always associated sewing with care and a deliberate investment of time. The act of weaving and sewing every stitch is an expression of love. Creating art with textiles connects me to memories and fantasy. It's a creative language I discovered early on, maintaining a playful approach even as I refined my technique. I appreciate working with textiles for their transformative qualities and lightness, enabling me to create sculptures that are almost weightless, yet monumental.
Does women's unique perception play an important role in your creations and how does it manifest itself?
My art is deeply personal, rooted in a woman's perspective. For instance, themes of pregnancy and childbirth have featured prominently in my recent work. When I portray my personal experiences, they also echo universal experiences shared by women across time.
The works exhibited in the "Magical Thinking" art exhibition vary in form. Besides the physical characteristics of the fabric, what is their inherent connection?
In psychology, "Magical Thinking" refers to the belief that one's ideas, thoughts, actions, or symbols can influence the material world. My thinking system aligns with this concept, embracing rituals, private symbols, and a search for synchronicities. The exhibition delves into encapsulating moments—a fear of impermanence. The silk cocoons, for example, contain notes with secret wishes, vows, and spells sealed with my hair. They serve as projection surfaces, prompting reflection on sealed desires.
Creation, for me, is a journey into the unknown, and I understand it better by giving it form. My sculptures almost become autonomous entities, each with its own will and temperament. I act as an instrument for the work, intuitively seeking sources with my hands, listening, and meditating on the essence of, for example, the lines of a being or a tree.
