Dalia Saafan: Spirals
Alberta Craft Gallery 10186 106 St, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1H4
Artist Reception: Saturday, March 3, 2018 from 2 - 4pm
Dalia Saafan’s glass work has always served her as a way to express cultural connections. Presented as glass abstractions, Dalia employs lines, ethnic patterns, vibrant colors, and geometric shapes in combination with several mediums such as brass, copper, mica powder, and metallic mesh. Through the work of her exhibition, Spirals, she hopes to create pieces so beautiful that they need no translation.
“The mystery of the meaning is an invitation to my language, culture, and art. I am hoping to create pieces so beautiful that they need no translation.” – Dalia Saafan
Embedded within the glass, Dalia plays with letters, words, and groups of words to convey a unity that can be found across western and eastern cultures. As both language and art form, Dalia is fascinated by the movement, curves and the smooth lines of Arabic calligraphy. For Dalia, these universal traits can unite an audience in admiration of its beauty, regardless of culture or language. Even if one cannot translate the meaning, the rhythm and grace of Arabic script can still speak to its viewers. Then, when the meaning is understood, an even greater connection is made between the piece and the audience. And while words may have the power to move and motivate the reader, Dalia explores how the understanding of a word’s definition is not needed to feel the piece or be touched by its greater, innate meaning.
Dalia Saafan, a graphic designer and teacher, earned her Bachelor of Interior Design degree in 1993 in her native Egypt. She arrived in Canada in 1995 and continued to work as an art instructor, craft producer, and designer. After working with a local glass maker in 2005, her focus turned to glass. Dalia found glass to be a discipline that could blend all her creative strengths: painting, interior design, and warm glass. Combining elements of Bedouin culture and near eastern rural colours with the addition of plant-inspired motifs and Arabic or English calligraphy, Dalia’s style celebrates both her Egyptian roots and her new Canadian home.
.