Sarah Valeri “The Silence Left by the Vagrant’s Voice”

Culturefix

poster for Sarah Valeri “The Silence Left by the Vagrant’s Voice”

This event has ended.

Culturefix welcomes back the artist, Sarah Valeri, to the gallery. Valeri is a young and extremely active artist who skirts the lines of visual and performing arts. Many visual artists can say they are also in a band, but few of them can say they are in a band and their role in it is a visual artist. Culturefix met Valeri when hosting the band Colorform, in which, Valeri is a member as the visual artist. Throughout a set, Valeri will produce a single piece (typically using pastels, chalk and pencil on a canvas taped to the floor) inspired by the music being played. In November 2011, Valeri presented work at Culturefix that had accumulated form the band’s performances. Cut out and taped to the wall, Valeri presented a whimsical installation of work that covered every inch Culturefix’s walls. The 2014 show will share the same dream like characteristics that can be found in most of Valeri’s work in the form of paintings on canvases. Culturefix is excited to see her work presented in a more formal and traditional fashion.

In the artist’s words:

“I often say there is a constant balance between honesty and privacy in my paintings. Originally they were strongly influenced by symbols and characters from very affected dream stories. Only I know their specific significance, though I do hope that a connection can be found between the interpretation of the viewer and my own interpretation. A meeting place of our experience.

Since I have been living in the city the paintings have literally become more crowded, but hopefully with connected and evolved characters rather than just a massed gathering. The relationship of the characters and metaphors in the space of the painting develop the significance of the composition for me while I am painting. I work in layers of oils, but rarely plan ahead, allowing the image to grow while I tell the story to myself, often repainting and coming up with new solutions and relationships. Recently I have been adding heavy amounts of galkylds to the paint, building up layer after layer of color rather than mixing. At its best it creates a better sense of transparency, which I have enjoyed using to mix the fore and background together altering the space from a concrete location to a more spiritual walk. At times the paintings seem to develop a certain trance like quality to me, due to the fact that there are so many details and sub stories to follow and visually the focal points blend and elude, specifically in Simple Act of Conjuring and Sonic Youth Review.

The fabric pieces started out as very small wishes, eventually building up to the Most Delicate of Hopes series. They were easily carried and pieced together during my daily travels and are similar in my mind to Tibetan prayer flags. At this time I have begun making them into larger works, following a similar process to the paintings and being completely hand sewn they are slow to grow. They are dependent on the finding of scraps and special gifts, or the death of some special garment. I do however greatly enjoy the lightness of the small pieces. They seem small but mighty to me. Light and unraveling, they are still able to stand against the weather, survive commuting or a trip to the Laundromat. Their versatility is an undervalued survival skill.”

Media

Schedule

from April 15, 2014 to April 20, 2014

Reception For The Artist on 2014-04-17 from 18:00 to 20:00

Artist(s)

Sarah Valeri

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