Syrian born and Brooklyn-based artist Diana Al-Hadid (b. 1981) is known for her works on Mylar, panels and monumental sculptures of seemingly impossible architecture and abstracted imagery. Working with common materials, including polymer gypsum, plaster, fiberglass, wood, and steel, Al-Hadid creates structures that simultaneously soar and dissolve in space, in part due to an interest in the object’s relationship to the ground and studied engineering. At first glance it would appear the artist removes material to reveal the form. But her approach is in fact additive, the result of methodical layering and controlled drips, best exemplified by the panels—a perfect marriage of her drawing and sculpture practices. With a technique not dissimilar to fresco, she impregnates the material with pigment, creating paintings that can imbed directly into the architecture or hang on the wall. Al-Hadid’s rich, formal allusions cross cultures and disciplines, drawing inspiration from myriad sources including architecture, ancient invention, science, myth, and Old Master works. The latter prompted less by subject matter, but rather the Renaissance artists’ examination and demonstration of perspective. Al-Hadid has further expanded her practice to include outdoor sculpture.
