Ode to nature, to its energy, to its beauty, to its ability to be sufficient unto itself and to its being complete and perfect. The poetics of Daniela Di Maro (b. Naples 1977) sings of the power of nature and the way humankind remains fascinated by it, the way we admire its mechanics, its devices and its internal automatisms. It is no accident that when discussing Di Maro’s artistic quest, we associate the idea of nature with terms and functions that can be mutually applied to the technological world for their peculiar ways of representing practices to which every action corresponds to a reaction in a proactive manner. Therefore, it is this integration of these two worlds – the natural one and the technological one – to represent the conceptual focus of Daniela Di Maro’s installations which are created through the combined use of techniques from the electronic and digital world as well as from energetic transformations – such as Arduino, solar panels, customised software – with material derived from nature – like beeswax, plants, minerals and water. Works by Daniels Di Maro are complex and sensitive machines that explore the processes and functions of nature and are constantly activated through the technological element and interaction with the public. Di Maro’s artistic quest is based upon her practice of using: computerized procedures, open-source electronics, audio and video elements leading to continual involvement during both the planning and hands-on creative stages and technicians and specialists in order to build a kind of collective and participative approach to her work. The result is the creation of installations which are calibrated with the space in which the data fed and elaborated by the technology she uses performs the task of bringing the demands of the work itself to life through the presence of an audience whose role is to bring sense and value to the natural/artificial process in nuce. Daniela Di Maro’s artistic exploration describes a poetic and punctual observation of natural processes in which scientific, anthropological, technical and aesthetic considerations merge and where the technological element becomes a means to explain the primordial relationship between humans and nature, thus triggering a moral discussion on what is actually necessary to our survival and on what is probably superfluous.
Daniela Di Maro
Di Maro graduated from the Fine Arts Academy in Naples with a specialisation in Visual Arts and Disciplines. She lives and works in both Naples and Milan. In 2012, she won the Un’opera per il Castello (A Work for the Castle) award (Castel Sant’Elmo, Naples). Her personal exhibitions include: The synergic garden, [.Box] Videoart project space, Milan, curated by Mariacristina Ferraioli (2014); Un’opera per il Castello (A Work for the Castle), Castel Sant’Elmo, Naples, curated by Angela Tecce and Claudia Borrelli (2012); Cuprum, Dino Morra Contemporary Art Gallery, Naples, curated by Chiara Pirozzi (2012); Ivy Noise_IN_Sonora VI Muestra de Arte Sonoro e Interactivo, IED, Palazzo Altamira, Madrid (2010); Linfa Sintetica, Rossana Ciocca Contemporary Art Gallery, Milan (2010). She has participated in numerous group exhibitions including: Upokeimenon part II, Sea Aquarium, Trieste, curated by Dolomiti Contemporanee (2013); Upokeimenon (underwater), Nuovo spazio espositivo in Casso (province of Pordenone), curated by Dolomiti Contemporanee (2013); Suspension sceneries, Festival Miden, Historic Center, Kalamata, Greece, (2013); Jeunes pousses d’Italie, CDLA Centre des livres d’artistes, Saint-Yrieix-La-Perche, France, (2013); N.i.n.a. nuova immagine napoletana, PAN|Palazzo delle Arti di Napoli, Naples (2012); Transiti, CACT Centro Arte Contemporanea Ticino, Bellinzona, Switzerland (2012); Home_nature– Front of Art, Nervesa della Battaglia (province of Treviso) curated by Katia Baraldi and Laure Keyrouz (2011); Premiata Officina Trevana, Palazzo Lucarini Contemporary, Trevi (province of Perugia), curated by Maurizio Coccia and Matilde Martinetti (2010); Trauma Preview urban connections, Studentski Kulturni Centar, Belgrade Serbia, (2009); Seconda Biennale d’Arte dei Giovani (Second Biennale), Fine Arts Academy, Bologna (2008). Her work is also on display at the Dino Morra Contemporary Art Gallery (Naples).
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