Diva 2008

Curator: Right now, we’re looking at a piece titled "Diva," a sculpture created by Camilla d'Errico in 2008. It’s a fascinating example of installation art, primarily made of wood. Editor: Well, "Diva" is right, isn't it? The way it just *drops* onto the floor like that— dramatic. It almost looks defeated, or maybe just profoundly exhausted with the whole performance of existing. Curator: It’s interesting you pick up on a sense of performance. This work plays with minimalism but also geometric forms. Considering that installations invite you to think about space itself as part of the artwork, do you think "Diva's" performance speaks to its environment as well? Editor: Absolutely. We can consider the male gaze and objectification; this form sort of surrenders, almost offering itself for consideration, but also withholding. The title is everything here because what we call "diva" behavior, particularly when exhibited by women, can lead to derision. Yet, who decides that behavior isn’t just confident self-possession? Curator: Ah, so it’s challenging those assumptions of what constitutes acceptable femininity! You know, to me, those wooden beams could almost be ribs— skeletal and vulnerable, but also forming a structure that is beautiful. Editor: Precisely! I read the sparseness, and even the raw wood, as an intentional disruption, making a statement about societal constraints. Think about the performance of femininity being a delicate balance. Here, this Diva has had enough. It’s on the floor— literally grounded, stripped bare. Curator: And there is such power in that vulnerability, that raw simplicity. Maybe it isn’t defeated at all but rather, reclaiming space through its refusal to perform in the traditional sense. Editor: And maybe that refusal is its most authentic performance! It begs the question, what happens when we release ourselves from expectations? What new shapes, what new stories might we tell? Curator: What a perfect provocation. I am happy for the opportunity to reflect on the deeper questions and subtle ironies of this fascinating wooden sculpture.