Craft With Conscience: Serena García Dalla Venezia
Serena García Dalla Venezia // Fiber Artist // Santiago, Chile
Serena García Dalla Venezia's work originates from an interest in handcrafts and is carried out in a patient and laborious process. It uses the sum of gestures that are repeated and prolonged through time in order to transform materials as simple as fabric and thread into large sculptural and pictorial objects that are structured in an a way that's organic and flexible.
By wrapping, tying, and intertwining fabrics and thread Serena produces smaller individual pieces that connect and adhere in order to form a larger total which may continue to grow.
Serena is an observer of nature and natural processes. Her work resembles plants, roots and other organic beings that interconnect forming real construction systems in which the total is formed by many small parts.
Her pieces are driven by the personal pleasure that meticulous work gives her, labor that requires time and dedication as well as the challenge that results in seeing what large dimensions can be reached or how much a piece can grow from these small actions and simple materials.
1. I began my #CraftWithConscience series as a way to simultaneously promote the work of other makers and to discuss the complicated issues surrounding creative inspiration and developing one’s own visual vocabulary. The internet is an ever growing fixture in many artists’ lives and businesses, could you talk about the role the internet plays in your artistic and professional life?
The internet has been very important for my professional life, thanks to social networks I have been able to spread my work and get it to be seen by people from all over the world. I think that currently the internet is fundamental for the self-management of artists, we no longer need a gallery or a manager to show our work.
2. Where do you find inspiration for your work? In what ways has the internet and/or social media impacted your design process?
My inspiration comes mainly from the observation of nature and what the materials suggest me to do.
I like to see other artists and creators on the internet, but I try to be true to myself and not to be influenced by other people's things to maintain originality.
3. How have you, as an artist, found your creative voice?
I found this by working hard and believing in my ideas.
4. Sites like Pinterest and Instagram are popular places for artists’ to share their own work. They also act as public visual archives, often leading to creative work by others that walks the line between ‘inspiration’ and ‘infringement.’ Have you encountered copies of your work online and how does it affect you? What are your strategies for dealing with it?
It has happened to me a few times and it is very disappointing, the work that an artist does is so personal that when someone copies them or does not recognize the value of creativity it hurts. But I am aware that by sharing the images they are made public, and finally I can only trust in my work and continue creating. A good consolation is to think that things are copied when they are good.
5. Do you have any advice for aspiring artists or creative business people?
My advice is to work hard. perseverance is fundamental.
6. Do you have any favorite blogs, artists, or Instagram accounts that you’d like to share?
There are two Chilean instagram accounts that inspire me a
lot: @laderasur and @chileaereo
and an artist that fascinates me is Hanne Friis.
All images provided by the artist.