ARTISTS TO KNOW: GIANA DE DIER

Giana De Dier is based in Panama. In her earlier work she made portraits in pencil of glamorous women of Afro-descent drawings. The drawings celebrated beauty and style as a part of the presentation of the black woman. Recent work has turned to collages of both archival and contemporary photos being paired with objects and environments of shaping a persona and navigating a cultural space. She describes the work as visual stories which are reliant on memory within communities of Afro descent in Latin America. Her work makes the argument for inclusion in historical discussions, cultural appreciation and relevance of the African diaspora within broader visual culture.  

– Oneika Russell