Di Allison
Diane Allison’s involvement in the arts stems from her professional and personal relationship with fellow artist Patrick Hall. Since 1990 they have often worked in tandem, contributing to, and sometimes collaborating on, each other’s projects. In 1998 Diane established her jewellery studio after studying Jewellery Design at TAFE Tasmania.
Diane’s art practice is based in contemporary jewellery but has extended to public art and speculative exhibition and installation pieces. Her works often suggest a degree of fragility in both their aesthetics and concept and touch on quite fundamental human vulnerabilities. As Diane comments, “We are our own islands in a common ocean. Each of us is a fragile vessel, a capsule…”. Di’s larger work sees her sometimes take, as the artist states, “… a jeweller’s aesthetic or approach of using smaller components and upscale it and see where it leads. In past works I’ve enjoyed playing with scale making some necklaces several metres long. I have [also] used pill capsules… I’m drawn to the jewel-like, bead-like quality they hold. For some of us they are such a fundamental part of each day. They are so small and fragile but wield such importance – they can literally be little life preservers, sitting alongside a glass of water like a displaced life buoy.”
Diane has exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions around the world. Diane was a finalist in the inaugural Hadley’s Art Prize in 2017 and has exhibited as a finalist in the Glover Art Prize for landscape in 2014, 2015 & 2018. In 2007 Di was commissioned to design and make the State of Tasmania’s official gift for Princess Isabella of Denmark. Her work has been collected by the Tasmanian Museum Art Gallery and the Clarence City Collection. Diane is also represented in various private collections. – Hallison Studios 2018
