Dionisia Salas Studio talk

During The University shut down period. We had the opportunity to chat with Dionisia Salas in her ANCA studio about her practice, and navigating COVID-19 through making. Born in Darwin, Dionisia has lived in diverse places including Alice Springs, Botswana, Dubbo, Paris, Berlin, and now Canberra. Dionisia exhibits locally, nationally, and internationally. She is a studio artist at Australian National Capital Artist in Dickson. Recent solo exhibitions include: Domino Gold, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Gorman Arts Centre (2018), Heartbeats, ANCA Art Bus (2018), She Walked in and Pulled out a Chair, CCAS in the City (2016), Every hook, Every loop, Drill Hall Gallery, Canberra (2014).“My work, acting in translation, is imbued with an atmosphere of movement, dynamic energy, and curiosity that parallels my history of relocation. I am curious as to how materials and abstract mark might carry my knowledge of experience and act as a delicate balance between lived experience and technical capability; my practice as a conversation between my ability as a maker, and what occurs on the picture plane that causes a response, consideration, action. My practice is a reflection of my love of making things. What sends me into the studio is an irrepressible urge to engage with paper, colour, canvas. My works start by messing around with materials, making drawings, collages, models, and then, of course, getting pulled into deeper, more concentrated pieces. Working with rules of construction, material engagement and layering combine with the magic of colour, pattern, and organic line. I combine my love of colour and materials with the enjoyment of concentration, losing myself in a self-generated rhythm of making.”