“Dunya (Part two)” by Ottawa-based artists Dipna Horra

Dunya (Part two) by Dipna Horra, courtesy by the artist

An old-fashioned, golden dressing table with mirror. A golden chair standing in front of it. On the dressing table plenty of handpicked red roses and yellow, white and orange dahlia floating in a water bowl. The flowers find their equivalent in the light orange flower design of the seat cover. We hear voices and sounds telling the tale of the Hindu Goddess Parvati.

Dunya (Part two) by Dipna Horra, courtesy by the artist

This installation “Dunya (Part Two)” by Ottawa artist Dipna Horra was part of an exhibition at the Pink Gallery, Berlin, this summer. The exhibition "...Into GOLD" dealed with the material and meaning of the legendary Gold. But the main focus was not the solid substance or a pure representation of gold; rather the spiritual aspects of this treasure. In installations of various objects, sound and video, the artists referred to larger narratives.

In Dipna's case, the story of her grandmother combined with the dressing chair and the mirror as symbols of vanity are strongly reflected by the shiny, golden metal. The titel of the work “Dunyā” is the Arabic and Punjabi word for the temporal world and its earthly concerns and possessions in opposition to the spiritual realm.

Based on a parable told by the artist’s grandmother, Dipna Horra’s "Dunya (Part two)" animates a found object with sounds and voices recounting a tale of the Goddess Parvati’s quest for material wealth. Horra’s interest in storytelling is combined with a background in architecture and multi media installations.

Dipna is an multi-media artist with focus on media explorations and interdisciplinary collaborations. She deals with identity issues, hybridity, and transcultural synthesis of materials and thoughts. Areas of primary investigation for the artist are space, time, myth and migration as they relate to cultural identity.

Dipna has completed a Masters of Fine Art at the University of Ottawa, with a focus in sound installations; and is now preparing research for her doctoral thesis. She has worked in architecture and art education in New York and Canada. Her works could be seen in Canada, New York, Dubai, U.A.E., Berlin and London, U.K. I am looking forward to see more of her installations!

To get an impression, take a look at her web site that is an amazing new media experiment: www.dipnahorra.com


About the Berlin exhibition:

...Into GOLD

With works by:

Dipna Horra & Can Henne


Exhibition at Pink Gallery, Berlin:

August 19 - 28, 2011

Supported by Canada Council for the Arts and Ontario Arts Council

http://www.pinkgallery.de/Exhibit/ig.htm