Dia Bassett

Maternal Source, 2020. Vintage slip, robe, up-cycled fabrics, ribbon, wire, papier-mâché, buttons, sequins, thread, yarn, and pipe cleaners
60 x 16 x 30 in.

White Shirts, 2013. Up-cycled shirts, cord, plaster
29 x 48 x 75 in.

Secondhand white shirts cut and crocheted, wrapped.

Ubi pus ibi evacua, 2011. Wire, Up-cycled cloth, resin, hair, fiber
29 x 64 x 130 in.

Lunar Kind, Two-part sculpture, 2013.

Fabric, used clothing, thread, plastic, artificial flower, hair.
 

Matters of the Heart, 2012. Upcycled clothing and fabric, feathers, fiber, straw plant, resin.

2010. Dutch hat series in variety of fabrics and cow hide.

Multimedia sculptural installation with sound component, 2015.

Detail Image.

Detail Image.

Purging Vexations installation. Multimedia sculptures installed in the Everett Gee Jackson Gallery, San Diego State University. 2011.

vorare corpus vile, detail, 2011.

Plastic bag, leather.

cura animarum, 2011.

Fabric, secondhand fabric, hair.

cura animarum, detail, 2011.

Fabric, secondhand fabric, hair.

timor mortis, 2011.

Secondhand neoprene, secondhand fabric, plastic, lace, ribbon, hair, zipper.

timor mortis, detail, 2011.

Secondhand neoprene, secondhand fabric, plastic, lace, ribbon, hair, zipper.

timor mortis conturbat me, detail, 2011.

Secondhand neoprene, secondhand fabric, lace, plastic, yarn, ribbon, hair, zipper.

2011.

2012. Branches, hair, animal hide, yarn, fabric

2012. Branches, hair, animal hide, yarn, fabric.

2020. Materials: Up-cycled clothing and fabric, yarn, string, fiber Techniques: Weaving, knotting, wrapping Dimensions: Installation is 9 ft. 15.5 inches from floor to highest point, 10 ft. 9 inches at widest point, 3 inches deep

Triangles Verts is comprised of three separate triangles woven directly onto a wall. Each golden mean triangle decreases in size and is positioned at a different angle, creating the sense of gently floating shapes. The materials were sourced from family and friends. The colors were inspired by the color palette of a pillow my mother made in the 1970s as well as the original green and current blue exterior and interior palette to the house it is installed in—my mother and stepfather’s house. The triangles resemble boat sails from the surrounding area, but also become symbols for family leaving their marks.

Let Freedom Ring, 2021. Up-cycled clothing, up-cycled vinyl, up-cycled canvas, paint
120 x 168 x 36 in.

Read more here.

Tumbling Joy, 2021. Up-cycled clothing, yarn
60 x 103 x 0.5 in.

Weavings installed on nails in wall.

Maison et coeur-arc en ciel. 2020. Up-cycled clothing and fabric, yarn, string, fiber
42 x 72 x 2 in.

2013. Synthetic material, ink, embroidered thread.

Reunion, installed at Kettner Blvd. warehouse, 2013.

Ribbon, cassette tape, fishing line, secondhand clothing, deflated balloon, oil and acrylic paint. Dimensions vary.

Worn, 2013. Up-cycled clothing and fabric, string, hair
96 x 72 x 12 in.

The Squeeze, 2017. New and up-cycled fabrics; my body
132 x 108 x 60 in.

Installation at Almazara, in Mexico.

It's Immaterial, Products of Invisible Labor, 2016. Up-cycled fabrics and thread, up-cycled clothing hangers, paper
168 x 156 x 36 in.

Gallery installation view at SDSU Downtown Gallery.

Media: secondhand clothing and fabrics, ribbon, plastic bag, wrapping paper, string, empty spools, thread, plastic hangers, tags, paper, shower curtain rings, cord.

To listen to an audio track for this installation, click here. Rose Hackman of The Guardian expands on women's struggle for equity in the issue of emotional labor here. Doreen Massey's 2013 labor analysis and breakdown of its language, and how it effects our understanding of the economy, can be read here.

Up cycled clothing, thread, felt, 2023. 19 x 14 inches (49 x 35.5 cm)

This series is about questioning such emotional states as depression, guilt, shame, and pleasure, and how their entanglement produces absurd realities. Sanitatem is the latin word for healing. In these artworks it refers to a medical intervention that I did not want—a caesarean at the time of my daughter’s birth and the circuitous route to emotional healing that I experienced during the last four years. Two ways that I experienced healing were from the joys of motherhood and the empowerment of pole dancing. Childhood is referenced by costume items from my four-year old daughter and myself: the dinosaur claws I sewed for her 2021 Halloween costume and a mask from my own childhood, while pole dancing is referenced by the embellished lingerie I wore performing pole dancing. Together these sentimental items create sigils for exhilarating self-love, radically embracing pain and joy.

Up cycled clothing, thread, felt, 2023. 19 x 14 inches (49 x 35.5 cm)

Up cycled clothing, textiles, fiber, wire; 2023. 19.25 inches x 18.25 inches (49 x 47 cm)

This series is about questioning such emotional states as depression, guilt, shame, and pleasure, and how their entanglement produces absurd realities. Sanitatem is the latin word for healing. In these artworks it refers to a medical intervention that I did not want—a caesarean at the time of my daughter’s birth and the circuitous route to emotional healing that I experienced during the last four years. Two ways that I experienced healing were from the joys of motherhood and the empowerment of pole dancing. Childhood is referenced by costume items from my four-year old daughter and myself: the dinosaur claws I sewed for her 2021 Halloween costume and a mask from my own childhood, while pole dancing is referenced by the embellished lingerie I wore performing pole dancing. Together these sentimental items create sigils for exhilarating self-love, radically embracing pain and joy.

Up cycled clothing, childhood mask, thread, feather trim, 2023. 54 x 13 inches (135 x 33 cm).

This series is about questioning such emotional states as depression, guilt, shame, and pleasure, and how their entanglement produces absurd realities. Sanitatem is the latin word for healing. In these artworks it refers to a medical intervention that I did not want—a caesarean at the time of my daughter’s birth and the circuitous route to emotional healing that I experienced during the last four years. Two ways that I experienced healing were from the joys of motherhood and the empowerment of pole dancing. Childhood is referenced by costume items from my four-year old daughter and myself: the dinosaur claws I sewed for her 2021 Halloween costume and a mask from my own childhood, while pole dancing is referenced by the embellished lingerie I wore performing pole dancing. Together these sentimental items create sigils for exhilarating self-love, radically embracing pain and joy.

Evil Eye Amulet, 2020. Up-cycled clothing and fabric, yarn, string, fiber
36 x 36 x 3 in.

Evil Eye Amulet is inspired by musician and artist Tim Reece’s black and white charcoal drawings. Tim died from cancer in 2017, a year and two weeks before my daughter was born. He was my partner’s best friend. As I wove using my up-cycled fabrics, I noticed an amulet for the evil eye—protection from harm—began to surface. I recalled the early days of my daughter’s life and the intense anxiety I felt, so much that I couldn’t sleep. During that time I faced a lot postpartum anxiety. By allowing the amulet for the evil eye fully take form, I felt more connected to my past, to the other side, and to the unknown future. I felt protected.

2020. Framed circular weaving featuring amulet in black and white.

Completing the Cycle--Freely Flowing, 2021. Up-cycled clothing and fabric, yarn, string, beads, fiber
41 x 16 x 7 in.

2020. Materials: Crocheted yarn, thread, wire, plaster, up-cycled foam hair curlers, up-cycled artificial flowers, newspaper, up-cycled piano hammer, roving
Dimensions: 18 1/2 inches height x 8 inches depth x 14 inches wide

Musical Fiber: Stop Go Life is an amalgamation of domestic objects and art materials. Quiet scenes and performative acts from a feminine domiciliary life can be envisioned—curling one’s hair, reading a newspaper, staging some flowers, while artistic processes once in motion are paused—the plaster stiffening the crocheted craftwork, the piano hammer removed from its pianoforte. All pieces are housed in a frame commemorating this new daily life.

2017. Materials: Up-cycled clothing and fabric, up-cycled vinyl from tablecloths, up-cycled kitchen mats, up-cycled pillow cases, yarn, roving Techniques: Crochet, wrapping
Dimensions: 34.5 inches height x 3 inches depth x 36 inches diameter

Shades of White was created with the initial fantasy of an oversized hat that would be so large it would cover one’s face and part of their body. Here I explore the themes of identity, and femininity. As I began to add more and more crochet to the piece, I played with the shades of white that I found in linens and clothing. I experimented with the vast array of textures by crocheting them together until the weight began to fold in on itself. It became a conglomerate of domesticity, femininity, and anthropomorphic shapes.

Labor (framed giclée print), sold to San Diego Workforce Partnership in 2019.

W/Work, Sold to San Diego Workforce Partnership in 2019.

Coffee Story: A collaboration of human hands, biology, and chemistry

Ryan Bros. Coffee, Host

Dia Bassett, Artist

Supported and Funded by

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center: 52 Weeks of Science

Cascading Impurity, installed at Cuyamaca Water Conservation Garden, 2011.

Plastic bags, cut and crocheted. Recipient of Mini Grant from Green Public Art.

Side Detail of Cascading Impurity, installed at Cuyamaca Water Conservation Garden, 2011.

Plastic bags, cut and crocheted.

Detail image.

Temaztub, 2013.

Vintage bathtub, original steel bike cart, recycled wheels, recycled toiletries, solar lights.

Temaztub, 2013, in Green Art Parade in North Park, San Diego.

Public art installation (mobile sculpture and performance).

Vintage bathtub, original steel bike cart, recycled wheels, recycled toiletries, solar lights.

The Green Art Parade debuted on July 13, 2013 in San Diego, CA. Artists submitted proposals for mobile sculptures which were made from recycled and/or used materials. Temaztub was my submission, with ongoing performance of gestures, audience interaction, and music happening within the bathtub-converted Temaztub.

Let Freedom Ring, 2021. Up-cycled clothing, up-cycled vinyl, up-cycled canvas, paint
120 x 168 x 36 in.

Read more here.

Child uses an Artme Studio Weaving Kit to create their own weave and pattern. Learn more about the Artme Studio and Weaving Kits here

White, 2012.

Secondhand fabric, woven rope.

White, 2012.

Secondhand fabric, woven and crocheted material.

Very Young Woman With Enormous Wings, 2012.

Secondhand fabric, woven and crocheted material, rope, thread.

Purging Vexations headpiece, with Crocheted Three-Piece, 2011, 2008.

Wire, fiber, fabric, thread.

Secondhand lace and fabric, snaps.

Purging Vexations Dress, 2011.

Fabric, secondhand fabric, lace.

Medusa, 2012.

Nautical rope, secondhand fabric.

Tie Mask, with Hood, 2011.

Secondhand fabric, secondhand beaded lace, zip-ties, secondhand diving suit.

Spiked Mask, 2011.

Secondhand diving suit, thread, plastic bag, secondhand lace, felt.

Untitled for Purging Vexations, 2011.

Secondhand fabric, torn threaded tissue.

La Maison du Theatre performed at private residence in La Mesa, California, 2009.

From La Maison du Theatre, 2009. 

Performance at private residence, San Diego, CA.