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Valerie Piraino

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Valerie Piraino
Born1981 (age 42–43)
NationalityRwandan American
Education
  • 2004 B.F.A. Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
  • 2009 M.F.A. Columbia University School of the Arts, New York, NY
Known forSculpture, Installation, Drawing
SpouseDrew Piraino
Websitewww.valeriepiraino.com/home.html

Valerie Piraino is a contemporary artist who works mainly in sculpture, drawing and instillation.[1]

She was born in 1981 in Kigali, Rwanda[2] and raised both in her home country as well as in the United States. Her art reflects her transnational identity and includes themes like defining the many aspects of identity as a whole, anti-colonialism (or anti-imperialism), African diaspora, and ancestral identity and memory.[1][3][4] She has been the recipient of over a dozen awards and residencies, and has been featured in over thirty exhibitions in eight states[clarification needed] and at least three countries.[1]

Biography

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Valerie's mother, who was a Rwandan designer and seamstress, met her father, an American, while he was working in international relief efforts and development. After spending her early childhood in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and three other countries throughout Africa, Valerie, as well as her parents, moved to Arizona. Later, her family moved to Baltimore, MD, where she studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art. While studying in Baltimore, Valerie traveled back to Rwanda, where much of her mother's side of the family had been killed in the Rwandan Genocide. This trip inspired her work as a transnational artist, including her thesis project.[3]

In 2005, Valerie moved to New York City, where she began her M.F.A. at Columbia University School of the Arts. She graduated with Her M.F.A in 2009 and along with creating her work, she currently works as a part-time faculty member at Parsons School of Design at the New School.

Notable works and exhibitions

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Arguably, her most notorious work is a series of sculptures consisting of papayas created by carving layers of polystyrene, and then covering the shapes in black epoxy clay, paint, resin, sawdust, and occasionally using gold paint to accent the work.[3] The papayas are either displayed on flat surfaces or, as a later development, hung using nets created with twine.[3] When discussing the significance behind the colors, black and gold, Valerie states that the black and gold are reminiscent of the mining and environmental damage that has taken place in Africa due to colonialism.[4] The colors and textures are also said to represent the skin of the people from the region who were exploited for the natural resources of the country.[4][5] Papayas were the fruit chosen to represent the artists transnational identity and anti-colonial attitude for two main reasons. First, papayas were a common breakfast for the artist when she was a young girl growing up in Africa. Secondly, papayas, native to the Caribbean, represent colonialism because they "follow the trajectory of imperialism and colonialism".[3] Throughout the years and across multiple exhibitions, the meaning behind the work has shifted slightly. In an exhibit that ended in January, 2017 called Dis Place in the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, the papayas appeared to be broken and bruised, representing violence against African women.[6]

While the papayas are some of Valerie's most notable works, she has created many other bodies of work and has been in exhibitions across the country, as well as being featured in exhibits in other countries around the world.

Complete List of Valerie Piraino's Exhibitions[1]
Year Exhibition Title Institution/Gallery Location
2010 Collective Show Participant Inc. New York City, NY
Usable Pasts Studio Museum in Harlem New York City, NY
2011 Fidelity Meyerhoff Gallery, Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD
The Third Party Night Gallery Los Angeles, CA
2012 The Bearden Project Studio Museum in Harlem New York City, NY
Get it on the Record Visceglia Gallery, Caldwell College Caldwell, NJ
Fore Studio Museum in Harlem New York City, NY
2013 Present Future Artissima Turin, Italy
Reconstruction Crosstown Arts Memphis, TN
Photoplay Cindy Rucker Gallery New York City, NY
Body Language Studio Museum in Harlem New York City, NY
Round 39: Looking Back, Moving Forward Project Row Houses Houston, TX
2014 Lucky Draw Sculpture Center New York City, NY
"The House Seems All Upset" Contemporary Art Interventions on Critical Whiteness Jade Addams Hull House Museum Chicago, IL
Retreat Valerie Carberry Gallery Chicago, IL
The Bearden Project Texas State University San Marcos, TX
2015 After Afropolitan Weeksville Heritage Center Brooklyn, NY
Africa's Out Gladstone Gallery New York City, NY
Mirror Mirror Kate Werble Gallery New York City, NY
Displace MOCADA Brooklyn, NY
2016 SHE: Deconstructing Female Identity ArtsWestchester White Plains, NY
Collector's Club Project Row Houses Houston, TX
CAMSTL Gala Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis St, Louis, MO
Palatable Studio Museum in Harlem New York City, NY
Event Horizon Lesley Heller Workspace New York City, NY
Lucky Draw Sculpture Center New York City, NY
Everyday Redefined Corridor Gallery Brooklyn, NY
Whatever moves between us also moves the world in general Murray Guy Gallery New York City, NY
Africans in America Goodman Gallery Johannesburg, South Africa
2017 Elective Affinities: A Library Hunter College Art Galleries New York City, NY
Downtown 83 Aljira Benefit and Auction Aljira Center for Contemporary Art Newark, NJ
A Fast, Moving Sky The Third Line Gallery Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Socrates Annual Socrates Sculpture Park New York City, NY

Awards and residencies

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Valerie has received many fellowships and awards throughout her years of creating art.

Complete list of Valerie Piraino's Awards/Fellowships[1]
Year Name of the Award/Fellowship
2004 Jacques and Natasha Gelman Travel Award
2009 Studio Museum in Harlem, Artist-in-residence
2011 Rema Hort Mann Foundation Grant Nominee
2012 Rema Hort Mann Foundation Grant Nominee
2013 Project Row Houses, Visiting Artist
2014 Joan Mitchell Foundation, Emerging Teaching Artist Fellow
2015 Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Process Space
2017 Socrates Sculpture Park, Emerging Artist Fellowship
Offshore Residency
Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award Nominee
2018 Joan Mitchell Center, Artist-in-residence
The Wassaic Project, Editions Program

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "About". Valerie Piraino. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  2. ^ "Valerie Piraino - Lower Manhattan Cultural Council". Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Two Kingston artists featured in Dubai exhibit". Hudson Valley One. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  4. ^ a b c "SHE: Deconstructing Female Identity Exhibition Brochure | ArtsWestchester". artswestchester.org. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  5. ^ Review, Jyoti KalsiSpecial to Weekend (2017-07-05). "In a constant state of flux". GulfNews. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  6. ^ "Artists of the African Diaspora Cast Off the Legacy of Displacement". Hyperallergic. 2015-12-10. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
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