When it comes to traditional figurative art, Gialanella provides something neither traditional nor affected.  His figures and animals contain substance and space, embodied with perfect dimensions and balanced proportions amid the chaos of steel strips and planes.  He infuses his work with spirit, as if through some aesthetic alchemy, yielding sentient beings filled with solace and expression.  The spatial relationships are always carefully considered and dynamic - containing movement that is rarely seen in representational sculpture. Whether through ribbons of steel or his series of parallel plates, one becomes aware of the artist’s mastery to express ideas free from the paralyzing grip of academic principles and conventional techniques.

 

If Gialanella has apprehended some essence of life in his art, then it is only by regarding his subjects as a mirror of human emotions that we can forgo reality and delve into the spiritual expression that lies within.  Thus the concept of an animal, a camel or horse, that represents strength, beauty, freedom – are not meant to function as mere examples of these creatures, but as a collection of shapes and subconscious symbols that are not part of the tangible world. They are like a projection of dreams, not a contest with reality.  The artist is able to separate hand and brain, tapping into a potent force aimed at redefining objective representation. Ideally, he strives to create austere symbols stripped of convention and artifice.

 

~ William Van Horne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Education                                                                                     
Donald Gialanella graduated with a BFA from The Cooper Union in New York City.  From 1979-1981, he worked as Louise Bourgeois' assistant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With Louise Bourgeois in 2006.

 

Commercial Design
Donald worked as an illustrator for the Blade -Tribune newspaper in Oceanside, California beginning in 1981. Two years later he returned to New York and began a decade long career as Graphics Producer for the ABC television network.  He helped develop the use of on-air digital graphics on World News Tonight and later for Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America and other news and sports broadcasts. He won an Emmy for his work on Monday Night Football in 1990.

 

 

 

 

Teaching                                                                                                                  

In 1992, Gialanella accepted a teaching position at Bilkent University in Ankara,Turkey. He continued to work in broadcasting as a production designer for the Turkish Television Network.

   
   With Peter Jennings  

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

LiveSteel Studio
In 1995, Gialanella began sculpting out of his studio in Cooperstown, NY.  With a combination of the repousse technique (meaning "hammered from the reverse side") and traditional Blacksmithing, he developed a simple and direct process to create steel sculpture. Since then, he has expanded his use of materials and techniques while relocating his studio to Taos, NM and then to Los Angeles, CA.

 

 

 

Public Sculpture

In 2011, Gialanella was shortlisted for the Heisler Park Sculpture Project in Laguna Beach, CA, for his design, The Orbs.

 

The City of Santa Clarita, CA chose Pointing the Way as one of three finalists in 2010 for the McBean Transit Center public sculpture call.

 

In 2009, the artist visited Perth, Australia as a finalist in the $500,000.00 International St. George's Cathedral Sculpture Competition for the Parallax Cross.

 

Gialanella explored dual-image sculpture with the phenomenon of the parallax in 2007. What the observer sees changes depending on the angle at which the sculpture is approached. The technique is ideally suited for urban spaces where movement around the sculpture initiates changes in its perception by the viewer. Gialanella received a commission from the City of Albany that saw three parallax sculptures placed in the Downtown metro area.

 

 

 

Green Sculpture
Gialanella uses reclaimed objects as the building material for a series of midden (a conglomeration of artifacts) sculpture assemblages. He hopes these pieces bring attention to conservation of resources and recycling awareness.  Fetishistic clusters of toys, tools, utensils, electronic game components, computer hardware and a myriad of mass produced plastic objects are given new life as figurative sculptures. These pieces can be seen in CTN Magazine and The Landfill Art Project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uri Geller & Gialanella                         Howard Stern & Gialanella at KRock        With Dr. Keith Ablow and sculpture Sisyphus                

 

 

                                                                                          
Gialanella's work is exhibited in sculpture parks, public spaces, museums and galleries. He is a member of the Sculptors Guild NYC and LAVA, the Los Angeles Visionaries Association. Donald is listed in The Biographical Encyclopedia of American Artists, Who’s Who in American Art, Dictionary of International Biography and Strathmore’s Who’s Who.

 

Donald is currently represented by GVG Contemporary in Santa Fe, NM. His studio is located in Reseda, California.