Sunday in the Art Room 1/19/26

 Welcome to 

SITAR is about ANYTHING art. Your art, someone else's art, writing, photography, the art of cooking, the art of sewing and textiles. Sharing historical art, street art, a story about art. Do you have a question or need help with art? Write a blog post and link it up here. We will all try to help with it. My only rule is that if someone asks for critique it must be done with generosity and consideration. 

This is a place of learning, encouragement and inspiration.

 

Today I'm happy to introduce you to 

 

Diana Ali. 

 She is a visual Artist, International Independent Curator, Fine Art Lecturer, TV presenter (BB1, BBC4, Ch4) , workshop leader, creative mentor, board member Nottingham Women's Center. Not much on her plate at all. LOL

I came across her on the TV art show Draweres Off. 

 

As a Visual Artist, she has exhibited regionally, nationally at the TINAG festival, London and Site Gallery, Sheffield and solo at the Airspace Gallery, Hanley. Her international exhibitions include The Library Artspace, Victoria, Australia, The Crafts Fair in San Francisco, The Roaming Biennial in Tehran and the Other Asia’s exhibition ‘ReDo Pakistan’ in Karachi, Pakistan and has been featured in The Disarmory Newspaper in New York.

To date she has independently curated fourteen shows. National projects include ‘Up & Coming’ at the CUC in Liverpool, an event showcasing 60 emerging national and international artists, ‘Subversive Correspondence’ featuring fifty artists in London and Bristol and ‘Dialogues: A Fake Romance?’ in Swansea with thirty artists. Internationally, she has curated in countries with cultural divides; ‘A State of Un-Play’ at Atelier 35 in Romania, ‘Engagement and Entrapment’ in Israel and Palestine, Cyprus and South Korea. ‘Loss & Lucidity’ in California and Lisbon, which was her largest show featuring 58 international artists.

She is currently working with promoting and advocating the importance of creative thinking and making in different sectors outside of art. She has given presentations and workshops at the Institute of Mental Health, Nottingham University, Southwark Cathedral, KPMG, Archaeology groups (DNMGS), Haringey Council (business & Art) and schools and communities centres (well-being, domestic violence issues, EDI)..She currently works at Loughborough University and Open College of the Arts (University of the Creative Arts)

 This is some of her older art

I love the grunginess of it.  

 

These are so bold. 

8mm projector explorations

 A direct animation video records the language of Bangladesh, more specifically Sylheti and Dhakhai. The language is drawn directly onto the film and appears and disappears amongst distressed found footage.  The voice overs are of the artist conversing with her mother about politics and her uncle preaching religious fables. Having recently revisited Bangladesh, the video explores the confusion, the inarticulate communication, and the frustration of not being able to speak a native language with conviction.

You can watch the film here

What I love most about her, is that she has taken her art and not exhibited for herself but that she takes art to help others. 

 

Hope you enjoyed meeting Diana.

 

Have a great Sunday.

Nicole 

 

Joining Gillena

 

sited

Axis 

Diana Ali