Diana van der Harst is a multidisciplinary artist building an ever‑evolving Leftover Universe where Tender Time Sighs. Working mainly in textiles alongside painting, drawing, ceramics, sculpture, photography and writing, she traces encounters between inner and outer worlds—zooming from the intimate to the vast, like breath. Her poetic, intuitive practice reveals leftovers and traces of transformation, weaving narrative, emotion and a touch of magical realism into contemporary, contemplative work.
Born and raised in the Netherlands and now based in Australia, Diana van der Harst completed her main art training in the Netherlands and began exhibiting in 2004. A 2007 textile design masterclass led to an invitation to show in Tokyo; since then she has held four solo exhibitions and undertaken several work periods in Kyoto. With over 20 years of exhibiting, her work has been shown in the Netherlands, Belgium (Antwerp), Australia (Melbourne, Perth) and Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto).
Email: leftoveruniverse@gmail.com | Website: http://www.leftoveruniverse.com | Instagram: @dhyana_in_a_leftover_universe
Daisy d’Urby is dancing in an ever evolving Leftover Universe and she is playing with the Moon as if it is a ball, a sphere made of mould, where mould symbolises transformation and impermanence. Leftover Universe where Tender Time Sighs is a sanctuary in its own. I consciously started building Leftover Universe since and came up with the name in 2010, but characters and elements came into being already in 2004 or earlier even.
“When nothing looked familiair; my surroundings, choices I made and the person staring back at me in the mirror….I started asking myself the questions: “Who am I? What am I? Where am I?” With those questions in my pocket a journey began. With little steps and big dreams I started walking, walking my very own path, inspired by life itself to find my way home”.
‘Finding Dhyana in a leftover universe where tender time sighs’
”While change and impermanence are the essence of the universe, Leftovers remind us that all is in constant transformation. Where one ends another comes alive. Acknowledging this truth enables me to shape the transformation without seeking to cling to permanence.”
In a Leftover Universe Diana aims to create sustainable, handmade, soul friendly products that don’t harm our environment and ourselves. Therefore natural materials are used as much as possible as well as leftovers to up-cycle the old.
“This world is full of leftovers and instead of disregarding them Leftover Universe believes in embracing and upgrading them. Radiating heart energy and breathing new life into the lost.”
‘An object made with love and care becomes a talisman and holds the power to make a little part of this world a better place’.
“Ancient craft techniques are highly valued in my Leftover Universe. Their deep history speak a language of their own, a language understood throughout the world and amongst all cultures. I try to keep them alive by using them in contemporary ways”.
All material on this blog is copyrighted and not to be used without permission. All rights reserved. © 2023 Diana van der Harst
Leftover Universe 
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