Valerie Piraino


Valerie Piraino is a contemporary artist who works mainly in sculpture, drawing and installation.
She was born in 1981 in Kigali, Rwanda 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, African diaspora, and ancestral identity and memory. She has been the recipient of over a dozen awards and residencies, and has been featured in over thirty exhibitions in eight states and at least three countries.
WWW valeriepiraino.com

Biography

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.
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

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. The papayas are either displayed on flat surfaces or, as a later development, hung using nets created with twine. 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. 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. 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". 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.
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.
YearExhibition TitleInstitution/GalleryLocation
2010Collective ShowParticipant Inc.New York City, NY
2010Usable PastsStudio Museum in HarlemNew York City, NY
2011FidelityMeyerhoff Gallery, Maryland Institute College of ArtBaltimore, MD
2011The Third PartyNight GalleryLos Angeles, CA
2012The Bearden ProjectStudio Museum in HarlemNew York City, NY
2012Get it on the RecordVisceglia Gallery, Caldwell CollegeCaldwell, NJ
2012ForeStudio Museum in HarlemNew York City, NY
2013Present FutureArtissimaTurin, Italy
2013ReconstructionCrosstown ArtsMemphis, TN
2013PhotoplayCindy Rucker GalleryNew York City, NY
2013Body LanguageStudio Museum in HarlemNew York City, NY
2013Round 39: Looking Back, Moving ForwardProject Row HousesHouston, TX
2014Lucky DrawSculpture CenterNew York City, NY
2014"The House Seems All Upset" Contemporary Art Interventions on Critical WhitenessJade Addams Hull House MuseumChicago, IL
2014RetreatValerie Carberry GalleryChicago, IL
2014The Bearden ProjectTexas State UniversitySan Marcos, TX
2015After AfropolitanWeeksville Heritage CenterBrooklyn, NY
2015Africa's OutGladstone GalleryNew York City, NY
2015Mirror MirrorKate Werble GalleryNew York City, NY
2015DisplaceMOCADABrooklyn, NY
2016SHE: Deconstructing Female IdentityArtsWestchesterWhite Plains, NY
2016Collector's ClubProject Row HousesHouston, TX
2016CAMSTL GalaContemporary Art Museum St. LouisSt, Louis, MO
2016PalatableStudio Museum in HarlemNew York City, NY
2016Event HorizonLesley Heller WorkspaceNew York City, NY
2016Lucky DrawSculpture CenterNew York City, NY
2016Everyday RedefinedCorridor GalleryBrooklyn, NY
2016Whatever moves between us also moves the world in generalMurray Guy GalleryNew York City, NY
2016Africans in AmericaGoodman GalleryJohannesburg, South Africa
2017Elective Affinities: A LibraryHunter College Art GalleriesNew York City, NY
2017Downtown 83 Aljira Benefit and AuctionAljira Center for Contemporary ArtNewark, NJ
2017A Fast, Moving SkyThe Third Line GalleryDubai, United Arab Emirates
2017The Socrates AnnualSocrates Sculpture ParkNew York City, NY

Awards and residencies

Valerie has received many fellowships and awards throughout her years of creating art.
YearName of the Award/Fellowship
2004Jacques and Natasha Gelman Travel Award
2009Studio Museum in Harlem, Artist-in-residence
2011Rema Hort Mann Foundation Grant Nominee
2012Rema Hort Mann Foundation Grant Nominee
2013Project Row Houses, Visiting Artist
2014Joan Mitchell Foundation, Emerging Teaching Artist Fellow
2015Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Process Space
2017Socrates Sculpture Park, Emerging Artist Fellowship
2017Offshore Residency
2017Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award Nominee
2018Joan Mitchell Center, Artist-in-residence
2018The Wassaic Project, Editions Program