Monica Valentine
Born 1955, San Mateo, California
Has practiced at Creative Growth since 2012
Monica Valentine’s primary practice takes the form of optically charged sculptures composed of foam shapes that are densely covered with beads and sequins. Valentine is blind and wears prosthetic eyes, having lost her sight at birth. Working with great dexterity, Valentine threads sequins and seed beads onto thin pins, then uses her hands to feel along the foam in order to find their placement. The process is rhythmic and calculated. Valentine’s exacting standards of bead size and color, foam shape and material, result in forms that are whole and perfect in their being. Visually rich and luminous, her sculptures are either monochromatic (red is her favorite color), or blooming with multiple hues across the visual plane as Valentine creates layers by juxtaposing the colors of sequins and beads.
Introduced by touch to a Saori loom by Studio Instructor Anne Meade Paden, Valentine weaves in monochromatic yarns until the piece outgrows the loom. Working exclusively in red, orange, green, or blue, her long textiles have a distinctive looped fringe on the left side that forms as she pulls the shuttle out to feel the yarn’s tension before starting the next row. Valentine’s long singular weavings have been installed individually, or made into clothing: ponchos, dresses, and wraps, and are often adorned with bike reflectors.
La práctica principal de Monica Valentine toma la forma de esculturas ópticamente cargadas compuestas de formas de espuma densamente cubiertas con cuentas y lentejuelas. Valentine es ciega y usa prótesis oculares, ya que perdió la vista al nacer. Trabajando con gran destreza, Valentine ensarta lentejuelas y rocallas en alfileres delgados, luego usa sus manos para sentir a lo largo de la espuma para encontrar su ubicación. El proceso es rítmico y calculado. Los exigentes estándares de Valentín en cuanto al tamaño y color de las cuentas, la forma y el material de la espuma, dan como resultado formas que son íntegras y perfectas en su ser. Visualmente ricas y luminosas, sus esculturas son monocromáticas (el rojo es su color favorito) o florecen con múltiples matices en el plano visual mientras Valentine crea capas yuxtaponiendo los colores de lentejuelas y cuentas.
Introducido por el tacto a un telar Saori por la Instructora de Estudio, Anne Meade Paden, Valentine teje estambres monocromáticos hasta que la pieza supera el telar. Trabajando exclusivamente en rojo, naranja, verde o azul, sus telas largas tienen una franja distintiva en bucle en el lado izquierdo que se forma cuando tira de la lanzadera para sentir la tensión del estambre antes de comenzar la siguiente fila. Los tejidos largos y singulares de Valentín se han instalado individualmente o se han convertido en ropa: ponchos, vestidos y abrigos, y a menudo están adornados con reflectores de bicicletas.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2022
Outsider Art Fair, New York
Gesture of Lines, Tokyo Shibuya Koen-dori Gallery, Tokyo
2021
Super-Rough, Outsider Art Fair, New York, curated by Takashi Murakami
Interconnected, Southern Exposure, San Francisco
2020
Felix Art Fair, Los Angeles
Monica Valentine online viewing room, Creative Growth Gallery
Art Osaka, Osaka
2019
Gifted: The Self-Taught Genius of Creative Growth, Nina Johnson Gallery, Miami, curated by Kim Hastreiter
Outsider Art Fair, New York
2018
Outsider Art Fair, New York
2017
Outsider Art Fair, New York
2016
Art Osaka, Osaka
Art Fair Tokyo, Tokyo
Celebrating a Vision: Art and Disability, SFO Museum, San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco
Outsider Art Fair, New York
2015
Indigo Mind: Informed by the work of Dr. Oliver Sacks, StoreFrontLab, San Francisco
2014
New Art Dealers Alliance Fair, Miami
2013
Outsider Art Fair, Paris
SELECTED PROJECTS
2018
Featured in Art 21 San Francisco Bay Area Episode
2016
Anthropologie Holiday Collection