D’Annibale’s multidisciplinary approach merges sculpture, architecture, gardenscape and installation, inviting viewers to engage with the intricate layers of spatial narratives and emotional depth. Her bold vision becomes apparent in her command of diverse mediums and the interaction of colors and shapes, investigating how they affect perception and visual relationships.
D’Annibale’s latest body of work is marked by the juxtaposition of textures and a mix of both repurposed and new materials. Delicate pastel hues and the perfect finish of reflective surfaces are contrasted with thick, dynamic impasto and found objects. Organic forms and poetic metaphors go hand in hand with architectural rigidity and ambitious scale, altogether creating a persistent tension. Homed within D’Annibale’s universe, these works exist both as individual pieces as well as in groups in a particular setting. The inclusion of natural elements such as light or sand and consideration for spatial experience is prevalent in D’Annibale’s practice, giving her installations and larger sites a unique theatrical quality.
Untethered
The Untethered series challenges traditional notions of painting by inverting the conventional dynamics of its key components and expanding it into three dimensions. Color fields are replaced by glass leaning against the wall, canvas or other fabric is unstretched and flipped over, and the frame hangs empty. Through processes of deconstruction and reconstruction, each element loses its original function, thus gaining new, sculptural qualities. This body of work prompts our exploration of visual relations between distinct materials and their interaction as an elegant composition.
Drift
The Drift series is defined by the use of one of the artist’s signature repurposed materials, the vintage parachute. Its critical functionality and material elegance speak to the persistent contrast and tension in her work. Light and heavy, in motion or still, loose or attached, the parachute adopts different forms, appearing woven into an architectural structure, or solidified and turned into a sculpture. D’Annibale examines the relationship between the viewer and the art object by exposing the parachute’s diverse nature.
As we step inside the installation, we are cocooned by an immersive video projection of the silky fabric suspended from the ceiling, allowing the parachute to become the main character of a performance.
Restraint
D’Annibale brings diverse materials and techniques together to blur the boundaries between painting, sculpture and architecture. The Restraint series embodies a fusion of painterly gestures with the sculptor’s sensitivity. A painted cloth is dripped over a dimmed mirror and tied together by a rope, evoking a sense of tension and dimensionality. The cloth gradually becomes more complex and textured like a relief while the reflective surface from underneath unsettles its conventional placement.
Dots
The Dots series are organic forms presented as individual sculptures or as an installation, exploring the notion of minimal architectural intervention to alter the spatial experience. D’Annibale repeatedly employs this basic form, ‘dotting’ it around in an intuitive manner to interact with the natural terrain or sculpt the negative space of built environments.
They come in different combinations of materials; the base is partially covered with either polished, molded metal or dynamic brushstrokes of encaustic wax. The contrast in finish and textures is visible and often enhanced by the setting.