behind and before the lens
Valentina lives and works on the island of Tasmania, where it is impossible not to be influenced by the erratic weather and broody vistas. As such, her work is rooted in concepts of death, intense sensation and isolation. Drawing on the painting traditions of surrealism and the uniquely Australian art movement, Tasmanian Gothic, she creates fantastical photographs that have been referred to as ‘breathtaking’, ‘haunting’, ‘visual shivers’ and as ‘traces of beautiful nightmares’.
She began using digital photographic manipulation techniques in 1994, breathing life into her childhood fascination with the unearthly and the grimly weird. Appearing before and working behind the lens simultaneously, Valentina uses her body as prop and storytelling device, touching on themes of contemporary femininity and the construction of self identity
Gallery Pejean
Galleries
57 George Street, Launceston
