Madrid, Rome, New York, Uruguay or Cameroon are some of the places where you can find works by Diana García Roy.
This young Spanish artist is especially known for her work as a sculptor, although she also cultivates other disciplines such as drawing and painting.
Author of works such as the Virgen de la Esperanza, a Marian image found in a chapel located on a hill above the Uatumá River, in the heart of the Amazon jungle, or the altarpiece of the parish of San Manuel González in San Sebastián de los Reyes in Spain and various works of abstract art, Diana García Roy, a graduate in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid, has been dedicated to sculpture for more than two decades.
"I had an inner need to materialize personal experiences - of places, architectural spaces - a passion to tell the beauty I appreciate around me." highlights Diana García Roy.
Step by step he made his way in the artistic field and, to date, he has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions.
Throughout this time, Diana García Roy has received grants for artistic creation from prestigious institutions such as the Casa de Velázquez, the Marcelino Botín Foundation, the firm Barta & Partners and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the Spanish Academy in Rome. "Thanks to them, and to the projects they have had the confidence to commission me."he points out, "I have been growing in my personal project".
His stay in Venancio Blanco's studio was a turning point in his way of conceiving sculpture and his creative process: "It changed the way I look at sculpture. He introduced me to the true paths of creation. I have a great admiration for his person and his work.", he notes.
The sculptor describes her creative style as a creation born from the heart of the artist: "I try to translate into aesthetic expression the idea I have inside me. I use a language of playing with planes, rather architectural, but leaving the human trace of the process. I look for a sculpture that reflects the spirit, that comes from the heart in a sincere way. That transmits to the viewer that which has left its mark on me. I want it to be transcendent, with strength and sensitivity.
Among the numerous works and commissions of this sculptor, "The memorials to victims of terrorism and to Miguel Angel Blanco have been very important to me, murdered by the terrorist group ETA".
"See the spirit." His work of sacred art
"Gradually, the number of commissions for sacred art, which I have carried out for many countries, has increased, notes Diana García Roy. In fact, private oratories in New York, Rome or churches in Argentina and Puerto Rico host pieces of the young Spanish sculptor's religious work.
What is sacred art for an artist who dedicates part of her work to this encounter between God and man through art? For García Roy, it is a matter of "seeing the spirit". The sculptor argues that figurative art is not synonymous with good sacred art. "A minimum of figuration is necessary to be able to rise from there. That's true, but we must not remain too much in aesthetics, in appearance."says. "It's about going a step further: to see the spirit inside, to find its inner strength, its transcendent expression, to discover the sacred origin of that figure and to find the way to transmit it. It is a great challenge, not an easy one.
A point on which the sculptor agrees with the idea of the painter, and also a sculptor, Antonio Lopezwho, in spite of his hyperrealism, defends that religious art has to focus on the religious and forget, in a certain way, the "art" (Cfr. Omnes nº 711). For García Roy, "just as prayer makes us connect with God, sacred art must go hand in hand for the same purpose. It must transmit a transcendence, a spirituality that elevates the soul.".
Among her religious works, the realization of the altarpiece of the Spanish parish of San Manuel González has been a real challenge for this sculptor. The altarpiece, about 12 meters high, consists of seven panels, each four meters high, distributed in three levels.
Diana Gargía Roy emphasizes that "the altarpiece of the parish of San Manuel González has been a great challenge in which I have learned a lot".. For a practicing Catholic artist, being part of building God's house is always a responsibility. For Diana, "What has edified me personally the most is to have had the honor of making a creation at the service of God, a great spatial accompaniment around the tabernacle. And to have seen that, with my work, I can help people to pray".
A face that leads to God
How does one "choose" the face of a carving of the Virgin or a Crucified Christ? Faced with this question, García Roy does not stop at the "artistic" but, as he points out, "I seek to convey the spiritual background of my experiences through sculptural means. I do not pretend to define the face of the Virgin or of Jesus Christ. It would be very pretentious on my part and I think it would not help. Looking for beauty, I try to decontextualize the faces, idealize them in such a way that it is a timeless, spiritual beauty, avoiding the portrait of a specific person. I want that face to move us in the most intimate part and lead us to God"..
With her work of sacred art, Diana García Roy has it very clear: "My great challenge is to reach the heart of man and have that work invite him to conversion. To find, from faith, a way to express the beauty of God in a way that deeply moves and transforms our hearts".
Hoshi. The star
One of the current projects on which this sculptor is currently working is called Hoshi. Under this concept, Diana García Roy "gives name to the work of many years: important projects and sculptures of sacred art".
Through Hoshi "The current intention is to give them visibility and facilitate the purchase of the reproductions that I make in small format, which many people have been interested in for some time. The idea is to create new works, expanding the variety and providing the contact for new orders. They are appropriate pieces for a home, a garden, a church...".which will be available through its website next spring, although they can already be ordered through social networks such as Facebook or Instagram.
The choice of the name is not accidental. Hoshi" means "star" in Japanese, and Diana Garcia Roy, "Hoshi" means "star" in Japanese. "I wanted to place this company under the protection of Our Lady. She is the Morning Star, the Star of the East. And since I have always been attracted to Japanese art, I chose this language for the name.".
Each piece is unique for Diana García Roy. Whether from her collection of abstract art or from the pieces of sacred art that have been coming out of her hands over the years. Today, she prefers none of them: "Each one has a story, circumstances... I feel a great affection for all of them. It is true that there are some that I like more than others, but the ones that interest me the most are the ones that I have in my mind, in my heart, and I am eager to capture them in material".
Just as he does not choose one of his own works, he does not keep any other work of art, but he appreciates many of them, those that "with their beauty they catch me, they reach deep inside me, elevating my spirit.".
