Statement:
My creative research is rooted in the archival nature of textiles and their ability to hold memory and identity. I remix the aesthetics of traditionally “feminine” floral patterns and delicate motifs—imagery historically dismissed as kitsch. In my work, I act as a fashion designer, seamstress, painter, digital artist, and video maker, but above all, I advocate for taking agency over selfhood to build a better future through active creative practice.
Early digital art experimentations as a young creative led me to discover a method of personal archiving and digital collaging, laying the foundation for my current interdisciplinary approach. In this practice, digital and physical processes coalesce in a cyclical exploration of learned femininity and future memory building.
I design and construct fabric patterns and garments as portraits of dream versions of myself and significant people in my life. Through meticulous digital collage techniques, I create vibrant, personalized fabric designs, which I then print and transform into wearable garments. These designs are also translated into large-scale canvases, reinterpreting them through painting. Simultaneously, I create both paintings and wearable pieces to celebrate personal growth and new possibilities, embracing the archival nature of textiles and photographs.
Each garment and painting reflects the dynamic essence of someone important to me, expressed in extravagant colors. By designing, making, wearing, and documenting these garments, I engage in a cyclical process of memory-making, transforming clothing into a living archive layered with experience and potential. These photo and video documentations continue the cycle, as they are incorporated into new digital collages. My garments and paintings create a dialogue where each medium informs and transforms the other, forming an immersive environment that celebrates self-expression and community. The work is vibrant, saturated, and glamorous, yet intricately planned to evoke a sense of both joy and intentionality.
As my practice evolves, I aim to deepen the narratives within my paintings and their interplay with garment-making. I invite viewers to engage with and wear these garments as vessels for memory and joy-making. Ultimately, I hope to inspire reflections on how we craft and carry our own stories, using art to reshape and reclaim our memories and identities, moving toward a more joyful future.
Biography:
Erin Dellasega is a painter, digital artist, and fashion designer working in Kansas. Dellasega received her BFA in Visual Art at the University of Kansas in 2020, MA in Studio Art at Eastern Illinois University in 2021, and an MFA in Painting + Drawing at Ohio University in 2024.
Dellasega’s work integrates experimental technological processes, reflecting the media landscape of her upbringing, in order to emphasize the importance of self-expression over societal expectations. Dellasega's research explores the interplay of time and memory within worn textiles and patterns, contemporary interpretations of femininity, and the impact of social media and pop culture on self-creation. Her exploration of maximalism and textile patterning reimagines traditionally feminine aesthetics, creating a new space for dynamic and expressionistic practices that translate into everyday life.
Dellasega received the Women of Artistic Vision Award (WAVE Award) and Graduate Student of Distinction award at Eastern Illinois University in 2021 and was chosen to participate in the Art St. Louis Varsity Art Exhibition in 2021. She has been featured in multiple blogs and publications, including Canvas Rebel, Voyage Ohio, New Ohio Review, Art Start Art Blog, the Art St. Louis Blog, The Kansan, and Chalk Magazine.
Recently, she taught drawing, painting, design, and digital art courses at Ohio University while living in Athens, Ohio. Currently, she teaches art foundations, painting, and drawing at Pittsburg State University and facilitates online art foundations courses for Ohio University while continuing her studio practice and conceptual research in Pittsburg, Kansas.