Event
Colours of Africa
Adress:
De Oude Pastorij
Essendonk 3
2910 Essen
Belgium
Sponsored by:
Dijanne Cevaal
At the tender age of 9, Dijanne Cevaal left the Netherlands with her parents to start a new life in Australia. She has lived there ever since, but her Dutch roots have drawn her back to Europe time and again. As a matter of fact, travel forms an integral part of her life and her art and she has explored many countries in her quest for more knowledge about her passion: textiles.
Dijanne's love of all things textile started at a young age and she could often be found sewing, knitting or embroidering. As a teenager she earned extra pocket money by embroidering her friends' jeans. During her student years, studying law, needle and trhead were never far from her side. But is was during a tour to Africa and Europe in 1990 that she made her first quilt. Not being one to sit idle, she spent her free time sewing squares together by hand. She also spent many hours alongside craftsmen in Africa who were dyeing and decorating fabric by hand. What she found especially intriguing, was the fact that although the patterns used were very simple, there was always a story woven into the fabric. Years later she found this same phenomenon in Eastern countries.
Back in Australia, Dijanne slowly started trading the world of law for that of textiles on a full-time basis. Dyeing her own fabric soon became the only option and as her skills developed, she found that people wanted to buy her stuff. Starting as a trader at craft markets, she also displayed her quilts, which proved popular as well. In 2000, already quite established in Australia, the international market opened it's doors to her. She spent 3 months in France and started a love affair with that country which has resulted in her spending as much time there as possible.
Dijanne has since earned herself a solid reputaion as an international textile artist and has received many awards for her quilts. She deliberately creates work that is easily accessible and values the decorative aspect of art. However, there is always a story to tell. One of her favourite symbols, the pomegranate, although very decorative in itself, represents woman- and motherhood. Dijanne doesn't, as she puts it, work with little secrets. She wants people to be able to understand what she is saying.
Her work, including a susbstantial portion of new quilts, can be seen in Tatteljee
adres: St. Antoniusplein 1, Essen on 17 and 18 April.