HOLLYWOOD
Diana Daian: A Rising Star From Galleries to the Big Screen, A Visionary in the Making
Unmasking Identity Through Art and Cinema
Diana Daian belongs to a rare class of contemporary creatives who move effortlessly between worlds. Visual art, cinema, fashion, and luxury storytelling are not separate disciplines in her universe, but interconnected languages that speak to the same emotional core. Her work does not ask to be explained. It asks to be felt.
Rooted in fine art, Diana first developed her voice through symbolism, composition, and silence. Her internationally recognized solo exhibition, The Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words, became a defining moment in her artistic journey. Presented in Yerevan and later transformed into an art book, the project proved the power of visual language without narration. Viewers projected their own emotions onto her images, confirming Diana’s belief that true art begins where words end.
As her artistic vision expanded, cinema became a natural evolution. Film allowed her to introduce movement, rhythm, and narrative to the emotional precision she had refined in fine art. This transition was not a departure, but a deepening of her practice. Her visual storytelling gained dimension, inviting audiences not only to observe, but to experience.
Diana’s collaboration with leading luxury brands such as KILLIAN PARIS and Amouage further sharpened her ability to balance artistry with commercial excellence. She approaches brand collaborations as storytelling exercises rather than traditional advertising. By translating a brand’s identity through her own lens, she creates work that feels elevated, intentional, and emotionally resonant, while remaining authentic to her voice.
One of her most defining professional milestones came when she served simultaneously as cover model and creative director for Harper’s Bazaar. The dual role allowed her to shape visual identity from both sides of the camera. This experience reinforced her understanding of how imagery constructs perception and how subtle details can communicate meaning with lasting impact.
Her film Social Masks stands as a powerful expression of her thematic focus on identity. Inspired by the ways people conceal their true selves, the film introduces five archetypal characters: Drama, Tragicomic, Mystic, The Doll, and The Beast. Together, they form a psychological portrait of the tension between authenticity and performance, revealing the layers individuals carry to survive, belong, and protect themselves.
Beyond galleries and screens, Diana has cultivated a global digital audience of over 200,000 followers. For her, social media is not promotion, but an extension of her creative process. By sharing symbolism, emotion, and behind-the-scenes insight, she builds a community grounded in authenticity and connection, allowing her projects to gather energy before entering the world.
Living between Yerevan, Los Angeles, and New York continues to shape her artistic perspective. Yerevan grounds her emotionally, Los Angeles fuels her cinematic imagination, and New York sharpens her ambition and intensity. Each city contributes a distinct frequency, keeping her creativity fluid and evolving.
Diana Daian is not confined to one medium, one city, or one identity. She is building a body of work that reflects the complexity of modern expression, where art, cinema, and luxury converge. As her journey unfolds, one thing remains clear: her vision is not simply rising. It is defining its own space.
Hollywood Magazine Interview
1. Diana, your career spans multiple disciplines, from visual art to filmmaking. What drives your desire to bridge different creative fields, and how do you see the connection between cinema, fine art, and luxury visual storytelling in your work?
I’ve always felt that visual language is universal, whether it’s a photograph, a film frame, or a luxury campaign. For me, these fields are not separate; they are different expressions of the same instinct to communicate emotion without relying on words. Fine art taught me sensitivity to symbolism, cinema gave me movement and narrative, and luxury visual storytelling allowed me to refine aesthetic precision. Bringing them together feels natural, like building one complete artistic ecosystem.
2. Your solo exhibition “The Picture is Worth a Thousand Words” gained international attention. Could you share the most memorable moment from the exhibition’s journey?
The most memorable moment was witnessing how people connected to the work without any verbal explanation. At the opening in Yerevan, I saw viewers projecting their own emotions onto the images, some smiled, some cried. That reaction confirmed the purpose of the exhibition. Later, transforming it into an art book allowed the project to live beyond the gallery walls and reach people around the world, which felt incredibly rewarding.
3. You’ve collaborated with leading luxury brands. What is the key to blending artistic vision with commercial work while keeping your voice intact?
The key is clarity, knowing what your artistic language is and protecting it. When I collaborate with brands like KILLIAN PARIS or Amouage, I approach the project as storytelling rather than advertising. I listen to the brand’s identity, but I translate it through my own lens. When both sides respect each other’s vision, the final result becomes something elevated and authentic.
4. You were both the cover model and creative director for Harper’s Bazaar. How did this experience influence your approach to visual identity and storytelling?
That project taught me balance, the harmony between being in front of the camera and shaping the narrative behind it. It showed me how identity can be constructed with intention through composition, symbolism, and emotional tone. Since then, I’ve approached every project with a stronger understanding of how images shape perception and how subtle details can communicate powerful stories.
5. Your film “Social Masks” explores hidden identities. What inspired it, and how do the five archetypal characters reflect human nature?
“Social Masks” was born from observing how people protect their true selves, often out of fear, longing, or survival. Each character represents a psychological layer we all carry:
Drama, the emotional self
Tragicomic, the mask of irony
Mystic, the spiritual or intuitive identity
The Doll, the image we present to be accepted
The Beast, the suppressed, raw parts of us
Together they form a portrait of the inner conflict between who we are and who we perform to be.
6. With over 200,000 followers, how do you use social media to connect with your audience and support your artistic projects?
Social media is an extension of my storytelling. I use it to share the process behind my work, the emotions, the symbolism, the ideas. It allows me to communicate directly with people who follow my journey and to build a community around authenticity. For my film and art projects, it becomes a platform where energy gathers before the work is released into the world.
7. You live between Yerevan, Los Angeles, and New York. How do these different cultural environments influence your creativity?
Each city carries a different emotional frequency. Yerevan grounds me; it’s where my roots and sensitivity come from. Los Angeles opens my imagination toward cinema and narrative. New York energizes me with intensity and ambition. Moving between these spaces constantly shifts my perspective and keeps my creativity alive. It’s like living inside three different artistic worlds.
Credits
Creative Producer / Model: Diana Daian @dinadaian
Photographer: Hrach Azatyan @lon__94
Stylist: Gagik Sargsyan @ghagiks
Makeup Artist: Maria Arakelyan @itssmemariia
Cover Picture Dress: THEMIS @themis_official_
Editor: Meri Pluzyan @merie.lin
Producers: Valentina Gurova @valentinagurova, Head of PR Aliyans Media Group @pr_aliyans
Cory Tran @corycoutureproductions
