Natsumi de Dianous (b 1997) is an artist working in Boorloo (Perth). She is deeply interested in the potential for objects to be imbued with their own living essences and is fascinated by the techniques – particularly ones involving an investment of time and care – that can bring about this circumstance.
Drawing from Japanese spiritual philosophies, Natsumi sees objects as possessing a life of their own after their making. To her, an art object can stand as independent and autonomous, something that finds its own trajectory in the world. Natsumi also brings this approach into her painting practice. She is known for her world-building combination of illustrative and painterly surfaces – built over time through cycles of attention created by applying and wiping back paint. She often places figures embodying the interaction between the spiritual and natural world, suggestive of clouds and the wind, into these deep, thoroughly worked and layered grounds. Depicted in billowing robed textiles, Natsumi is interested in clothing and adornment as a further strategy to give life to her works, often incorporating elements of jewellery to her paintings. Recently she has been exploring the use of ceramics to develop her ideas through a more sculptural language.
Natsumi holds a Bachelor of Fine Art from Curtin University. She has exhibited in local and international galleries, including Pig Melon (2022, Shiny Life Romance), Goolugatup Heathcote (2019, Heathcoate Select); Friesnsauce gallery at House of the Sun, Indonesia (2019, The Order); Cool Change Contemporary (2019, what can become of it, with Kate Webb); and Smart Casual (Private ritual, 2017).
