Art Spotlight - Dina Herrmann, November 2014

“Getting to the Other Side”

Contemporary Abstract
artist Dina Herrmann debuts her new series of paintings “Getting to the other
Side” at GDCA Gallery in November 2014. This groundbreaking body of work is hot
off the press and marks a major transition in Herrmann’s work. “Getting to the
other Side” is a personal metamorphosis. Rooted in the loss of her beloved
father and mentor, (her parents were famed illustrators Robert & Bertha Hermann),
this new collection is an explosion, an authentic, raw, fearless journey of
creative self-discovery, revealing a powerful and unique artistic voice.

Dina Herrmann was born
and raised in Manhattan, moving to Westchester County at age 10. After
graduating with a BFA from SUNY Purchase, she set up a studio in a remote country
cottage in the Hudson Valley. Her early work echoed the beauty of her rural
environment with its organic shapes and soft colors. Herrmann’s paintings follow
in the footsteps of the Abstract Expressionist tradition, valuing color independently
of form. Rather, color is used to express emotion and experience.

Due to a series of
personal changes, including the death of her father, Dina packed up and left
her East Coast life behind. She arrived in Downtown Los Angeles with nothing, a
clean slate. The move to DTLA created a seismic shift in the artist’s world and
she hit the ground running. The edgy urban energy of Downtown immediately surfaced
in her work. It broke through her soft lines and rounded forms, demanding
expression through bold brushwork, sharp angles and grid-like geometrics.
Intense, impassioned gestures reflect the burst of energy and renewed life
force now surging through her veins.

The new paintings bring
to mind gestures of Action Painting, reminiscent of de Kooning, Rauschenberg
and Gerhard Richter. Pivotal also is the predominance of the color white, woven
throughout all of the new works, transitioning color and line. “The white
represents space“, says the artist “I couldn’t breathe. I felt suffocated by my
former density of color”.

She still maintains a
strong connection to her father when working, channeling his energy, while
finding new ways to break through her old patterns and concepts. One of the
greatest challenges for the artist is letting go. Her past was defined by
controlled mastery of technique and perfectionism. In contrast, her new compositions
have liberated her brushwork – it is larger, bolder, full of abandon. The
introduction of pallet-knife technique allows her to unleash emotions via color
and organic structuring, rather than delineate her feelings as she did in her
previous more lyrical abstractions.

“The new work is a
culmination of my life’s experiences and struggles”, says the artist, “It’s
about trust, about believing, embracing and embodying the positive in the
world.” She likened her process to going through fire: “It’s hot, it’s
exciting, and it burns away Karma…When the fire subsides, you are left with the
truth.”

“Getting to the other
side” is a dialogue with the metaphoric and spiritual weight of love and it’s
bittersweet dialectic of comfort and constraint. Her intention with each
painting is to strip away her comfort zones, until reaching total awareness, and
facing the truth, her naked self.  There
is a definite pulse beneath this collection of paintings. They are addictive in
their complexity and strikingly beautiful. We are witnessing the birth of an
authentic, singular creative voice: exuberant, brave, triumphant and thrilling.

Dina Herrmann’s new
collection of paintings “Getting to the other Side” will be on display at GDCA
Gallery November 1st – 31st, 2014.

GDCA is located at 545 S.
Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

Gallery Hours are: Tues.
– Fri. 12pm – 7pm. Sat. & Sun. 12pm -5pm.

Evenings by appointment.
Mondays are closed.

For more information on
the artist or to arrange viewings please contact Petra Wright at #(323)
309-2875 or email her at: Petra@GDCAgallery.com