"In motion"

Detail from "Vertigo", viscose, 110x110 cm

Diana Orving (1985-) belongs to a new generation of textile artists who are making an impact on the art world. Intricate draperies in silk, linen and viscose form a sculptural structure in which the delicate oil paintings act as a light source, a kind of developer fluid that further reveals the expression and three-dimensional quality of the work. In the shadows behind the high waves of the works and far down in its deep valleys, there are secret recesses that the viewer can only reach through imagination. "In my works, I want a field of tension, an intimacy, to arise between the work and its viewer. A landscape to be absorbed or a volume to be touched. The symbiosis of the tactile and the visual, of body and space."

"The state of secrecy", oil on viscose, 180x90cm | "Blow I", oil on viscose, 80x80cm

Inger Christensen's poem Alphabet has served as a sounding board for Orving's process. "Her associative language evokes images in my mind. Images of the body as poetic abstraction, of nature, movement, emotions, longing, music... The lines in my works become a stream of energy, a movement, a sensitive field of tension in motion."

"the whispers are there, the whispers are there
the hollows, and inside the hollows
the half-shadow, sometimes inside the half-shadow"

His background in ballet is of great importance to Orving's artistic practice, where movement and the body are recurring themes. "The hard discipline of dance is so incredibly patient in a way that reminds me of the slow, textile work. Every little part has to be cut, joined, balanced. Tamed in its untamability. The concentration and repetition found in dance and music also follow rules that must be learnt and submitted to in order for freedom to emerge. It is only when you reach a certain level that you master your medium, your language, and can become free. I create the conditions for me to lose control and be overpowered by what I create. Like a flexible dance, a violent tug of war," says Orving.

"Whispers exist", viscose, 160x160 cm | "Harmony", viscose, 80x80 cm

Diana Orving (b. 1985) is an artist and fashion designer based in Stockholm. She has participated in group exhibitions at Teatergrillen (2019) and Sven-Harry Art Museum (2020). In 2017 she held a solo exhibition at Dusty Deco and was named Designer of the Year by Elle Magazine. Upcoming solo exhibition at Varbergs konsthall during spring/summer 2021.

Nordiska Galleriet Art is pleased to present Diana Orving's exhibition "In Motion", where Orving shows about ten new works at Nybrogatan 11 in Stockholm while the exhibition is shown in a smaller format in our showroom in Gothenburg. "In Motion" opens on Wednesday 28 April 2021.

For questions, please contact: Ditte Lauridsen, Head of Art, [email protected]

Written by Lina Aastrup, 2021