Daniela Skinner brings her first exhibition in 10 years to the Corner Collective. Talking about her latest art to hit the gallery this week, the artist said “I spent a good 10 years in the art world and then took a break as I came to England, had a baby and motherhood took its course. I kept my creativity and that came through by being a mum and expressing that through my son but as he has grown and I have gone through the motherhood stages, it means I now have more time to draw and get back to the point I was at 10 years ago.”
Describing her influences, Dani said she cannot escape her feelings towards the Art Nouveau period accentuating the female figures drawn during that time. Because Art Nouveau originated from the Hyper Industrialisation period which saw mass production in everything, it meant that artists pushed through a sense of originality and craftsmanship to produce more daring and exotic designs.
Another major influence has been Gothic Art which uses a high contrast between three-dimensional shapes and figures with flat gold accents to accentuate a connection to the divine. Dani also speaks of one of her biggest artistic influences, she said, “I have always been drawn to Gustav Klimt as he famously created the ‘Golden Phase’ which meant he used a lot of gold leaf in his work. Studying Art History for 4 years has allowed me to use my knowledge and influences that I feel shows in my work.”
Having studied Animation and Art History means that Dani has built up a reputation as a skilled creative and helped When We Were Cows during his exhibition at the Corner Collective back in October last year, by creating all the animation for it.
When you come and visit the exhibition, you will see how the inspiration of Klimt and Gothic Art is highlighted through each piece, with the use of gold and choosing the feminine form to work with. Dani draws from compelling images and uses symbolic shapes like the triangle.
While interviewing the artist for the article, I noticed she was wearing a triangle necklace and asked if choosing to use this shape in her collection had any symbolic meaning. Dani said that she loves triangles and really wanted to use this shape mixing gold, using the feminine form and then contrasting 3D images with flat ones that then brings warmth, depth and a way to draw in the viewer.
Triangles are one of the most basic shapes that we learn from a very young age but they also have a lot of symbolism and spiritual meaning behind them. Used all the time in astrology, mythology, ancient civilizations, religion and spirituality means the triangle is a powerful shape. Often seen as a sacred shape that represents balance, stability, and strength, you often find the meaning of this geometric shape stems back to balance and enlightenment.
For some people, the triangle is a reminder that we are all connected to each other and to the divine. I love the fact that Dani’s work offers the audience balance in the shapes used, and the fact there is a gentleness and delicacy there which is what the artist wanted to achieve.
There will be t-shirts, prints as well as original pieces to buy and the PV is on the 25th May at 7pm until 9pm. The gallery will then be open from 11am until 4pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Feature Image – Anders Creutzer
