Dina Torrans
Dina Torrans explores the senses that nature can meet us with and create a place of wonder and reflection. Her sculptural details make you want to take a deeper look and still get lost in the simplicity of ideas. Dina works with nature’s found footage and draws inspiration from her environment. Her sculptures grab the audience’s attention and make us aware of the various relations we can have to our surroundings.
Dina Torrans is the Silver Artist of the ArtAscent Winter call for artists. To see the full body of work and profile, get a copy of the ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal Winter issue.
Artist Statement
I have found that in exploring the creative process, my artwork reflects various ideas and developments in my personal mythology. This process continues to inspire me to action and to dialoguing about our evolving world and times. It is one of my most valuable teachers.
I have had the pleasure of working with nature, bronze, clay, gypsum, cement, metal, marble, minerals, wood, found objects, colour and sound. I enjoy employing a variety of media in my works which often include combining two- and three-dimensional materials. My themes tend to be inspired by ideas about nature, our human belief systems, personal and planetary evolution, and our ultimate interconnectedness.
About My Work
A selection of writing by Dr. Mark Lipton, Professor in the College of Arts, University of Guelph:
“Dina’s works evoke a dream-like playfulness as they explore what it means to be alive. One gets a sense of being centered in the here and now with evocative hints of where we’ve been and where we’re going. Always thoughtful and full of play.
Dina delicately engages in acts of bricolage, playing with the meaning of found objects. Torn maps and sheet music, raw elements like bronze, copper, and stone, and an assortment of other mixed media such as feathers and children’s toys are transported to her world in ways that sculpt strong narratives. Each work is like looking into a microscope focused on an imaginary natural world. The strength of this mythology is enhanced by Dina’s ability to frame three dimensions on a two-dimensional plane. This sculpture, collage, chine-collé ruptures the viewer’s sense of perception by inviting an attention to detail to a creative process and a world of wonder.
For Dina, each work is a poem open to the viewer’s perspective. Yet acts of interpolation, where Dina’s focus attunes the viewer to her understanding of nature – real and imagined – are made brilliant by her delicate use of colour and shape. A variety of materials frame and create a backdrop either of loud, soft, or dynamic feelings, providing a glimpse into her kaleidoscopic world.
