Debra Disman

Artist

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Fiber

In Reflection: “Three Sisters And Their Mother” and more

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I was thrilled to have a solo exhibition last winter at ReflectSpace Gallery, part of Glendale Arts and Culture, in the Glendale Central Library which opened Saturday January 28th and was on view through March 19,2023.
The show, a dream come true that I did not even know I  had, was curated by the wonderful Ara and Anahid Oshagan of The City of Glendale and founders of the gallery..

I was fortunate to have master photographer Gene Ogami document the show.

I share here two images featuring a work entitled, “Three Sisters And Their Mother”, which  engages a concept and presentation I am still exploring.

“Three Sisters and Their Mother” (2022),  made of canvas, acrylic paint, hemp cord, sunlight and gravity, is approximately 30” x 72”. Its dimensions are variable depending on how it is installed, the intervals of space between the components or sections, the way its ever-tangling cord/string wanders across each section, how high or low to the ceiling or the floor it is positioned, and how much in relief from the wall it is hung. As Eva Hesse once said about a work or works of hers… Can it be different every time…? (paraphrase). Naomi Spector writes beautifully about these ideas as regards to Hesse’s work.

Also pictured are: (below and clockwise from “Three Sisters And Their Mother”)
“I Can’t I Won’t I Will I Do”, (The titular work in the show), 2022,13 x 71.5”, repurposed table runner, acrylic paint, linen thread
“Finally”, (can hang on wall in slight relief), 2022, 48 x 19.5”, canvas, lace, hemp cord, sewing thread
“Excavation of the Interior”, 2021, 12″ x 28″ x 12.5″, wood, mulberry paper, canvas, muslin, watercolor paper, hemp cord, linen thread
Our human connections, gossamer though they may seem, form a tangled web that is always changing, and in some ways unfathomable, but there and always mysterious.

 

“String Theory” plays at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod!

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I am thrilled to be participating in “String Theory“, an exhibition focusing on the versatility and creative potential of fiber, at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod.

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Opening Reception Friday, February 9, 5–7pm

Exploring the possibilities within fiber art to showcase the beauty and versatility of the medium.

FIBER ART can be see as both a new and an old form of art. The use of fibrous materials—woven, knitted, printed, wrapped, tied, sculpted, etc.—has long been a part of human culture. Traditionally, fibrous materials emerged as functional objects but in the aftermath of the World War II and with further investigation into the nature of an art object, fiber art slowly became a force and a movement in its own right. 

DURING THE 1950s, as artists received recognition, the term “fiber art” was coined to help describe and categorise their work. During this period, the contribution of craft artists—not just in fiber but in clay, ceramics, and other media—inspired a number of weavers to begin binding fibers into non-functional and non-objective forms to create works of art. The two decades that followed, the 1960s and the ’70s brought an international revolution in fiber art. With the rise of the women’s movement, and the consequences of feminist art, along with the birth of postmodernism theory, fiber art was reinforced and popularized.

FORMS OF FIBER ART include sewing, quilting, needle point, macrame, weaving, felting, crocheting, knitting, embroidery, rug-making, basket weaving and many more. As the years pass, different forms of fiber art have increased and decreased in popular artist interest. Macrame, for example, became very popular during the Victorian era, faded out of focus, then regained popularity in the 1970s. Today fiber art, in all its increasingly varied forms and styles, is more popular than ever and os one of the fastest-growing art forms of the 21st century.

The exhibition explores the wide range of possibilities within fiber art, including but not limited to weaving, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and felting. It will showcase the beauty and versatility of fiber as a medium.

I will be showing a work that has not yet been exhibited publicly: 

Blue Tapestry (Here’s To The Red, White + Blue), 2021, 18.75 x 6.5″
a hanging textile work made of hemp cord, linen thread and repurposed plastic placemat material.
This work is part of a three piece series, which also includes “Red Notebook” and “White Album”,  created in response to the re-evaluation of our national identity provoked by recent and historical events and conditions, and resulting turmoil.


VIEW THE SHOW VIDEO!

EXHIBITIONISTA: “String Theory” at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod

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I am thrilled to participate in:
“String Theory” at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod

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Opening Reception Friday, February 9, 5–7pm

Exploring the possibilities within fiber art to showcase the beauty and versatility of the medium.

The exhibition explores the wide range of possibilities within fiber art, including but not limited to weaving, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and felting. It will showcase the beauty and versatility of fiber as a medium.
SEE THE SHOW HERE!

I will be showing a work that has not yet been exhibited publicly: 
Blue Tapestry (Here’s To The Red, White and Blue), 2021, 18.75 x 6.5″,
repurposed placemat, hemp cord, linen thread

WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE SHOW HERE!

(not so) WHITE WEDDING

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Studio spotlight on:
WHITE WEDDING
 2023
15 x 21.5 x 10.75″,
materials: book board, canvas, muslin, watercolor paper, hemp cord, string, linen thread

What does the term  “white wedding” mean to YOU?

ARTISTS TALK at the IRVINE FINE ARTS CENTER!

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In May of 2023 I was privileged to participate in an

IRVINE FINE ARTS CENTER

ARTISTS PANEL DISCUSSION

 about the exhibitions NORTH NODE and ARIES RISING exhibitions

It was fun, it was fascinating, it was fitting!

If you would like to see and hear it, please go to:

ARTISTS PANEL

and use the
PASSWORD: !5V@zPur

I was one of six women artists in

ARIES RISING
Curated by Virginia Arce

March 11–May 20, 2023
Irvine Fine Arts Center Main Gallery + Gallery 2

“Rooted in the generative characteristics of spring, Aries Rising presents a collection of sculptural and two-dimensional artworks made of metal, fiber, and mixed media whose sensibilities reflect an organic source. Featured artists in the exhibition share a curiosity about human perception as it relates to the environment, both natural and manmade, reflected in their manipulation of material and form.”

Artists featured:
Renée Azenaro, Debra Disman, Mirena Kim, Sofia V. Gonzales, Zara Kuredjian, and
Susan Lizotte.

“A Common Thread” Artists’ Talk ArtShare LA

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“A Common Thread” Artists’ Talk at ArtShare LA on May 19, 2023
Art Share L.A. proudly presented “A Common Thread“, an exhibition featuring fiber-based and textile works of art exploring autobiography and social critique, connection and displacement. The artworks in this exhibition were interlinked through themes of history and memory.