Art. Daniela Yohannes Goes Between Dreams and Universes.

Daniela Yohannes
“Source,” Collage and Acrylic on Linen, 2016


Daniela Yohannes is an Eritrean/Ethiopian artist who lives and works in Paris, France. After studying in the U.K. and working in the arts, she decided to make a jump fro digital works to painting.

Dreams, invisibility, and other worlds feature prominently in her work.

My work explores themes of new myth, the dream world, the supernatural and the cosmos. I’m inquiring into the unknown, making the characters in my paintings confront the void, and enter it. I rely on my intuition and dreams as a direct source of storytelling.

My paintings allow me to explore fictional narratives, enabling me to remove all concrete limitation and boundaries. I paint characters that are facets of myself, but not earthbound. In this way I truly liberate myself from social constructs. I am drawn to the threshold between life and death and my paintings often project this great duality.

My practice has enabled me to turn inward. I make art to try and understand myself, my environment and the greater world beyond. I work with collage and often create characters using beauty magazines from which I deconstruct editorial photos. Once created, the character then dictates the painting. This is the process I enjoy most – allowing the character time to reveal itself to me and lend me the narrative to follow.


Daniela Yohannes
Untitled, Collage and Acrylic on Linen, 2015

Daniela Yohannes
“Piu profundo di me,” Collage and Acrylic on Linen, 2015

Daniela Yohannes
“Deep End,” Collage and Acrylic on Linen, 2014

Daniela Yohannes
Untitled, Acrylic on Paper Mounted on Wood, 2011

More at www.DanielaYohannes.com.