The World of Diane Goldie 03/11/15
On 3rd November this year I attended the exhibition and event from Diane Goldie and did so in one of her incredible dresses. An ivory, lace, vintage, up cycled item that Diane painted an image of Frida Khalo onto, Khalo being one of the main running themes of her work. Goldie is an artist, feminist, creator, strong speaker and previously a puppeteer who has been creating for decades. She creates wearable Art, painting and anthropomorphic creatures in a mixture of puppet form and soft toys/ornamental pieces along with a pulse of call to collective action within art and life.
Diane’s work uses references to strong female artists and mythical characters and the evening was a bold and beautiful mix of people wearing her art. She invited people to come dressed as who they really ‘wanted to be’. With the hashtag #fuckfashion she arranged a very informal catwalk up and down the graffiti tunnels midway through the evening. She invited guests to grab an item of her clothing and join the throng!
I wondered at the contradiction of this, if we are wearing her clothing and doing a catwalk, are we really able to be in opposition with fashion, or is it conforming to the norms of fashion? However it felt so inclusive that I feel it did as she intended.
What the evening also invited was an eclectic mix of characters, artists and clothing makers/wearers. Clothing stereotypes were thrown to the wind, cultures, ages, genders were mixed up and with beat music playing it felt like an amazing party and celebration of coming together. As cheesy as that may sound to some it was felt by all. It was the intention of Diane to come together without any pretension, to feel a part of something, to feel alive and be part of a tribe.
The underlying themes that Goldie works with are the control and abuse within marriage she experienced and which awoke her to feminism. Her clothing pieces came from a desire to continue with her process of crafting items but through referencing paintings and images historically seen as ‘proper’ Art she is literally stitching together the two areas. This is where her name c.Art comes from.
I simply love to be in the presence of Diane. She is both gentle and strong and her Art pulls the same feels. It doesn’t pretend, it shouts about what it is and is unapologetic. It doesn’t care if it’s feminine and gentle or feminine and sexually graphic, male or female, considered craft or art, and neither does Diane.
If you haven’t met her or attended one of her events, do so. It will make you smile.