Artist Feature # 10 – Diana Wolf

ART-IS-IN by Chriselda Barretto

About Diana Wolf

Born in 1981 in Kiev, Ukraine
1997-2003 master’s degree in architecture,University of Construction & Architecture, Kiev, Ukraine
2008-2011 MBA Real Estate & Construction Management, University College of Estate
Management, Reading, UK
2012 Postgraduate Diploma Project management, RICS, GB

Exhibitions:
2020 Aug.22 – Sept.4 , group exhibition ROTER FADEN, KreativRaum Galerie – Vienna, Austria
2020 Aug.20-24, SWISSARTEXPO-ARTBOX.PROJECT Zurich 2.0, Zurich Main Station, Switzerland
2016 Oct.-Nov., solo exhibition THE LIPS, Kaiserwasser Bank Austria Center, Vienna, Austria
2015, Oct. 16-22, group exhibition SMALL, Kunstraum SUPER,Vienna, Austria
2014 Dec.-2015 mid.Jan., one artwork show LIPS ZERO, HILLINGER, Vienna, Austria
2000, group photo exhibition, Photo club, Kiev, Ukraine
2000, group photo exhibition, Consulate of Ukraine, Dubai, UAE
1999, solo photo exhibition COLOR OF MY PHILOSOPHY, Photo Studio Fuji, Kiev, Ukraine

*Artwork LIPS has been featured @ ‘Gifts for Lovers’ Collection as part of Saatchi Art’s 2015 Gift Guide Collections http://www.saatchiart.com/art-collection/Painting-Photography-Drawing/Gifts-for-Lovers/722504/119380/view

*Artist photographs have been featured in several Ukrainian art&design magazines: ‘SALON’, ‘Photo-magazin’, ‘STOL&STUL’.

*Artworks are in private collections in Canada, Great Britain, Austria, Ukraine, Italy, Switzerland, USA

Hi Diana, thank you for joining me on Art-Is-In! Could you please tell our readers a little bit about who you are?

Hi Chriselda, I am honoured to be invited on Art-Is-In! I am a Vienna based multidisciplinary artist with the background in architecture, interior design, property and project management. I come from a family where culture was always highly appreciated. My mom is a civil engineer, my father is an architect and he taught me drawing and painting in my very childhood.

I still recall the visits to the Hermitage museum, seeing ‘Don Quixote’ ballet on the stage of Mariinski Theatre in St.Petersburg when I was 5 years old, which left an unforgettable impression on me.

I played violin professionally for 10 years in the music school and risked pursuing a musical career, but my destiny decided differently. Creativity was always present in me…
Diana Wolf

I had my first solo photo-exhibition and created women fashion collections during my university years.

What is your art style or process about?

I call my style – ‘eclectic deconstructivism ‘. The idea of fragmentation of the object into components and revitalizing it on the canvas or in sculpture, maintaining the harmony and continuity despite the loss of symmetry is crucial to most of my artworks. Through the juxtaposition of realistic and ‘disassembled’ elements and forms combined with the playful tone and vibrant color palette the recent series explores the mixed visual effects.

You do paintings, illustrations, photography and sculptures! Take us through them and which one is your most preferred art expression?

Photography was my student interest. It was exciting to explore the possibilities of objects, colors, light and shade. Finding the beauty in routine objects and landscapes surrounding us.

Gradually my interest in unleashing the possibilities of playing around with forms and volumes has brought me to drawing and more complex oil and acrylic painting, culminating into trying out the sculpture. Still my preferred way of art expression is painting .

Where does your inspiration come from?

My universe of inspiration stems from contemporary women, a specific mood, artworks of my favourite artists, architecture, cities, music, nature and especially flowers. I construct and advocate the positive aesthetics and my feminine depiction of the surrounding experiences.

Diana, you have a background in architecture and interior design. How has this influenced you when creating your own designs?

My studies and working experience as an architect and interior designer were a life-changing experience for me. History of arts and architecture, a variety of technical subjects have built the base for my way of seeing and understanding the art. In my artworks I am always intuitively applying the gained knowledge of composition, proportions, color-coordination, rhythm.

How did you learn/acquire your technique?

It all comes via sketching when the ideas pop up. As well as constant curiosity in the new materials and technologies. I am thrilled to explore the new materials – now, for instance, I am trying out epoxy resin.

How has art impacted your life?

Looking back I can definitely state that art had given me a higher sensitivity towards many cross-cultural and inter-personal aspects. Art feeds my mind and my soul. The process of creating an artwork is a sort of meditation for me.

Tell us a bit about your last work.

In my latest series I explore the relationship between shape, colour, texture, realism and abstraction. I reflected the beauty and richness of our diversity expressed in different forms. I have explored the possibilities of mixing deconstructivism and reality as a medium of the representation of reality.

I use a lot of gilding in order to make my artworks shine, sparkle and reflect the changing daylight in my customers’ interiors, just like the precious jewellery in the jewellery box.

What are you currently working on?

Something quite new is under preparation – new series of paintings for the October 2020 exhibition. The ideas that have been cooking for quite some time and new techniques will be used. I want to surprise my audience.

You seem to hold a fascination for lips! Is it true and tell us why?

My artworks often explore the relationship between contemporary women’s appearances, their strength, their fragility, their freedom and their emotions. As for me the lips are the door of the person’s sensuality. Lipstick is so often used to underline the lips as a beautiful facade of eminently personal and original aesthetics. What do we see beyond the red lips on the lips of a woman? Do we feel her vibe? Do we understand her mind?

In my artworks the sensuality, the sensation, the passionate stories of the lips are conveyed when the real shape of lips disappear within the deconstructivism in order to be discovered again…similar to the sense and the signs which are transmitted via the lipstick applied on the lips.

I love “Majestic Flamingos”! How long did it take you to complete it and what process did you go through to get it completed?

I appreciate that. This artwork is one of my favourites. It was inspired by the vacation mood and dream of visiting Cuba and seeing the Caribbean flamingos there at Río Máximo. It took me over a month to complete this artwork. Several different layers of colors have been applied to create the final surface texture and convey the feeling of these majestic birds enjoying themselves in the water.

Some of your paintings are on a round canvas? Is it more difficult and how do you manage to keep it looking so clean and elegant?

It has been a long time since I wanted to try the different shapes of canvas. Round canvas has a perfect proportion and ideal shape. Though it is harder to find the best composition on it. It requires a lot of effort to create the gilding surface. I strive for perfectionism and quite often there are two – three layers of gilding on each painting, to make it look polished and refined.

What does the future look like for you and your art?

I keep developing my art daily. Stability in creativity is the absolute necessity in reaching the goals. Currently there are several other ongoing projects in Luxemburg, China and Austria.

August 2020 is very fruitful to me, my artworks take part in two exhibitions. One is the group exhibition ROTER FADEN – in the contemporary KreativRaum Galerie in the heart of Vienna. Another one takes place in Zurich, as part of SWISSARTEXPO. Part of the funds from the sold artworks at ROTER FADEN exhibition will be donated to the Tabletochki Charity Foundation, which is fighting the child cancer in Ukraine.

Are there other artists/ architects that have influenced you and your work?

Naturally, the influence of my architectural education on me as a creative person is enormous. I admire the Soviet constructivism ( El Lissitzky, Alexander Rodchenko, Vladimir Tatlin) and the incredible balances & disbalances of deconstructivism architecture of Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry.

Another my favourite architect is the genius Antoni Gaudí. I am fascinated by the paintings of Tamara de Lempicka and Pablo Picasso, as well as Ukrainian folk art painter, representative of naïve art – Maria Prymachenko.

Some words of advice to aspiring artists.

Keep creating daily, visit museums and different exhibitions, study the history of arts. Travel, discover new countries and cultures, meet new people, read as much as you can. Look for inspiration in various fields and look with the curiosity into the future. Be courageous,persistent and never give up.

Would you like to share any more information with our readers?

I find it amazing that nowadays more and more people are interested in arts, are getting involved into cultural activities, support the emerging artists and promote creativity.
Art enriches our daily existence , broadens our horizons and refines us as personalities.