Artist Statement:

I lived in Hawai’i before returning to Japan and continue to be fascinated by the striking colors of the warm tropical waters surrounding the islands. Now water is often a driving force that inspires my art work.

I choose copper wire combined with colorful fibers using varying crochet techniques to create my art works. Stitching is a meditative act to me as the smooth copper wire glides through my fingers and over my crochet hook. Each crochet stitch I make is created from a varying set of loops, each loop is a copper thread telling a story in sculptural form.

Row upon row of copper wire creates a fabric that flows like water through my hands yet can be as solid as surface tension. The myriad of greens to blues, bright silver to deep turquoise that make up the warm tropical waters around Hawai’i are represented sometimes in fiber and sometimes using the anodized colored copper wire.

Designed to rest the eye, each minimalist artwork is created through meticulous stitch work with wire and fibers that reflect the beautiful, shimmering waters around the islands of Hawai’i..

Artist Bio:

I’m Deanna Gabiga, a metal and fiber artist currently living in Japan, who takes a single metal thread and creates meticulously stitched sculptures. My roots in textiles and my experience as a metalsmith bring a beautiful dichotomy to my crochet wire sculptures. I love how the simplicity of a hook and a metal thread become a voluminous, organic installation.

Creating artworks that combine the hard, masculine properties of metals with the soft, feminine textiles, transforms each piece into a stronger, more cohesive sculpture. Each of my designs show my fascination with transformation in our ever changing world.

The rich tropical waters around Hawai’i inspire my favorite color gradations; from the deep turquoise blues to seafoam greens to the silver sparkles of water splashing my toes in the sand. My contemporary wire crochet artwork provides a bright spot for unusual spaces.