The ARTIST
VALERA
Born in White Plains, NY
Lives & works in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
An artist and photographer, I work in various mediums that transcend from physical to digital. As well as being experienced in styling, set designing, print making, and art handling.
My mixed media work begins with fragmented collage elements that build with small reliefs of illustration and paint. Carefully balancing the elements to not be quickly recognizable the work develops an unconscious impression on the viewer that isn't simply associated to common social/ visual language.
Contrasting my mixed media work my photography's main focus is to capture the essence of the individual in front of my lens to their truest form. I aim to capture genuine and honest exposures. My roots in photography came from a documentary approach, having a lack of documentation in my youth to capturing life that I felt was beautiful and fleeting as a young queer teenager. My love of capturing these precious moments turned into a journey of discovering how I could unlock someone and capture them with purity. I desired a photograph to be real whether it was good, bad, or anything inbetween. To capture life in a raw and unfiltered approach.
CV
Work Experience
2009-2015 Apprenticeship with Francesco Lo Castro
2015-2016 Sales Associate/ Assistant for Wentworth Art Gallery
2018 Art Handling for Young At Art Museum
2019 Artist Assistant of Francesco Lo Castro For Rag & Bone Mural Installation
Exhibitions
2015-Catharsis Exhibition- Jump The Shark
2010 - Solo Show, I.W.A.N. The Bubble
2016 Catharsis Exhibition, March Show, Jump The Shark
2016 "PRE" Solo Show Jump The Shark in association with Inchoate Art Gallery
2016 Catharsis Exhibition, September Show, Jump The Shark