Artist in conversation: Danielle Mano-Bella
What initially inspired you to become an artist, and how did you develop your unique style?
The way I entered the world of visual arts began following a journey through Africa and South Africa. Before that, I primarily engaged in stage art and dance. I come from a musical family, and my grandfather worked with metals. He had a large factory, and alongside the industrial .production at the factory, he also collaborated with many artists. However, my journey as a visual artist began as a result of a trip I took to the African continent. I traveled to South Africa after my military service for work purposes. Before the flight, my aunt bought me a professional camera. I always loved to travel and photograph, but I never thought of doing it professionally. When I arrived there, I fell in love. It was there that I first witnessed, for better or worse, the connection between humans and nature as part of it. alongside humanity's .strong desire to control even the uncontrollable, like nature, which is an inseparable part of us
Do you have any rituals or routines that help you get into a creative mindset when starting a new project?
What I mainly do for creativity is to go for walks by the sea or in nature alone there, in the quiet and tranquility, all the answers can be found, and ideas arise. Just looking at a tree or a bird immediately inspires me.
How do you hope your audience connects with your work, and what emotions or reflections do you want to evoke in them?
i want my audience to reconnect with themselves and with nature. This is primarily what I try to resonate within the art I create, which flows through me. I believe that when a person connects with themselves and with nature, they will also connect with those around them. We are so similar despite all the external differences, and I consider opinions and beliefs to be external things. Deep down, beneath all these layers, we share the same root In the art I create, I feel that this is what I strive to reveal the most, and to encourage the audience to reflect on it.
How has your artistic journey evolved over the years?
During the trip to Africa , I began to develop my focus on documenting individuals from different communities around the world and the relationship between social developments and environmental and conscious growth. From these photographs, I produced three-dimensional installations made of photographic paper, combining artificial and natural materials that .underwent industrial processes to construct them About five years ago, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that affects my brain and nervous system. This illness led me to engage more with topics of genetic research. When I became interested in exploring the possibility of reaching such a research laboratory for inspiration, a close acquaintance of mine, who is involved in biology, suggested I visit their biochemical laboratory that focuses on research and the development of innovative biochemical .materials for medical purposes, particularly skin grafts When I arrived at the laboratory and saw what could be produced such innovative forms of materials I had the idea to try to develop, in combination with additional materials, the possibility of producing innovative biochemical materials that would serve as building blocks for artworks that combine photography and printing. This is how the innovative mixed technique developed on innovative biochemical materials, which I am currently focusing on.
Can you describe your favorite piece you've created and why it's meaningful to you?
The favorite piece I have created was made very recently. It is called "Hope’s Reflection." It depicts the character I have been focusing on lately, Hope, who recurs in many of my works. “Hope” is an image of a small girl from a photograph, but her identity (her face is missing). The reason her face is absent is that the girl symbolizes the inner child within each of us, a primal connection to innocence and purity, to the choice of growth and acceptance of ourselves and others through excitement, curiosity, and playfulness. The girl also represents the future generation the hope for a young generation that will choose the path of growth rather than destruction. The piece "Hope’s Reflection" portrays the figure of hope in front of a sunflower against a blue background. The image is made from innovative biochemical materials using a mixed technique (Silk Aerogel). The image of the girl also incorporates chemicals that are sensitive to UV light, and each time the artwork is exposed to UV light for a few seconds, the girl Hope changes from white to blue and then returns to white after a few seconds. The artwork demonstrates the impact we have on the environment and the environment has on us—how our choice between growth or destruction is available to us at every moment
How do you incorporate feedback from critics and audiences into your artistic practice, and how do you balance this feedback with your own artistic intuition?
I operate in an absolutely intuitive manner of experiences and experimental. I share my works with colleagues, family, and friends, but in the end, my choices are always based on my inner truth and intuition.
How do you stay motivated and inspired despite any setbacks or creative blocks you may encounter?
I let things flow you can't be in a state of creativity every single moment. I view creation as something natural and fluid. Just like in nature, there are periods of ripening and periods of blooming. Creativity also comes in waves—during the blooming phase, new ideas usually arise, while the ripening phase is a time for execution. There are also periods of rest when ideas don't come, but as long as I keep creating and staying in motion, even if it's minor movement—like going for a walk in nature, as I mentioned, or going to a bar or strolling down the street—suddenly things come up. I remain open, and everything arrives at the right moment in the right time, and this can happen anywhere, even from a conversation.
How do you feel about exhibiting your artworks with The Holy Art Gallery?
I am truly happy about the participation and the shared journey with your gallery. I feel and believe that the entire initiative of your gallery and the opportunities to exhibit and gain exposure in so many places around the world is wonderful for artists! Additionally, the chance to showcase at Art on Loop, which is fantastic and saves a lot of hassle and money with shipping works, is definitely preferable from an environmental standpoint.
“Hope Reflection” -Before exposure to UV
“Hope Reflection” - After expose to Uv
Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals and aspirations as an artist, and how do you plan to achieve them?
As an artist, I primarily hope to continue developing more innovative techniques and to successfully express new ways for artists to connect materials and different fields to create. Additionally, I hope that the art that flows through me will touch as many souls as possible and perhaps awaken something in them that will lead them to reflect on themselves, each other, and nature as parts that make up a whole. In the same way, I wish to impart love, compassion, freedom, and acceptance to themselves and to others. To choose growth rather than destruction of ourselves, one another, and our universe.
What role does emotion play in your creative process, and and how do you aim to evoke specific feelings or reactions from those who view your artworks?
Emotion plays an important role for me.I feel it serves as a tool for all of us, especially for artists. Emotion is a place that brings us closer together and also distances us. I believe that I choose to use emotion to try to connect my viewers to the artwork and, in doing so, to each other and to their environment.
