Daniela Yohannes: Diaspora Pavilion 2 Artist in Conversation
5 Apr 2021
Artist Daniela Yohannes speaks with curator Adelaide Bannerman about her practice and participation in the exhibition ‘I am a heart beating in the world: Diaspora Pavilion 2, Sydney‘ presented by International Curators Forum in partnership with 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art.
Daniela Yohannes (lives and works in Guadeloupe, in the French Carribean) is a British-Eritrean/Ethiopian artist who, since training, as an illustrator has meandered through several disciplines before becoming an artist. Since moving to the Caribbean two years ago, her surroundings have found their way into her creations. She describes her inspiration as that of the invisible; the forces and concepts that drive and surround us: unseen but constantly at work on our bodies and minds. Her paintings and recent moving image works are witness to the expression of nature; explorations of the intimate experiences that are shared only with the elements: earth, air, water, and space. She confronts themes of the unconscious, race, identity and ancestry, the ethereal nature of the cosmos and plurality of the individual – interrogating the nature of belonging and what constitutes that feeling of ‘home’ and the impact and consequences of alienation. Recent solo exhibitions include: The Fall: A Woman’s descent into the Unconscious, Addis Fine Art Project Space London, UK, (2019), Beyond Voudou, The Pikture Gallery Bangkok, Thailand (2010) and group exhibitions Influence Project, Real Music Rebels East Wing Takeover, Somerset House London, UK, (2018) and House of Wahala Project Texas, USA (2017).
Adelaide Bannerman is Co-Producer at the International Curators Forum.
