Valerie Ellis
About
I’m a British/Australian artist and former psychotherapist using various materials and forms to explore the interplay between appearance and substance, exteriors and interiors. My work includes oil paintings, drawings and sculpture/assemblages that critique popular culture.
This is an era of revelation. The same scientific and cybernetic tools that control the flow of human life are also used to unveil socio-political truths and their psychological motivations. I sample diverse cultural expressions from Deleuzian philosophy to social media, science and social justice because I’m interested in the unseen forces, structures and processes shaping life. My aim is to prompt viewers to lift the surface of their own lives, consider the systems they inhabit, question motivations and explore beyond appearances.
By contrast, I grew-up in an era fixated on appearances. My family lacked psychological awareness and television became my surrogate parent. In the absence of familial guidance, 80’s and 90’s popular culture compelled me to adopt a version of the world where surfaces were paramount, especially for women. The move from Britain to Australia as a teenager triggered self-awareness and introduced me to the revelations of psychology starting a lifelong hunt for meaning.
Using any suitable medium, I analyse and coalesce ideas into images and images into artwork. I give substance to concepts, often yielding insights which drive an engine of creativity.
BORN: Adelaide, Australia
CHILDHOOD: Guildford, England
ADULTHOOD: Brisbane, Australia
CURRENTLY: London, England since 2019
EDUCATION
2023/4 Royal College of Art, Masters Painting
1996 Graduated University of Queensland, Honors Degree, Psychology
EXHIBITIONS
2024 ‘Fallacious Memory’, group show, Walcott Chapel, ‘Fringe Arts Bath’ festival
2024 ‘In Emancipation of Self, group show, DContemporary, London
2024 ‘International MAW’ group show, Royal College of Art, Kensington
2023 ‘Derelict’ group show, Uncovered Collective, Peckham Safe House, London
2023 ‘Unveiled’, Cellophane Wrapper group show, Plastic Pie Collective, Basingstoke
2022 ‘Spread Too Thin’, solo show, Noho Studio, London
2021 ‘Touch Me’, solo show, Espacio Gallery, London
2021 ‘First Impressions’, Saatchi Art Other Art Fair
RECOGNITION
2023 Director of Visual Arts, Weybridge Festival
2023 Shortlisted, W4th Plinth, London
2022 Committee recognition, Luxembourg Art Prize
2021 Committee recognition, Luxembourg Art Prize
2020 ING Discerning Eye Competition
TALKS & INTERVIEWS
2023 Artist Talk, University of Salford
2023 Talk – Understanding Art History, Weybridge Festival
2023 Talk – Developing the ‘Veils’ Paintings, ‘Cellophane Wrapper ‘ Exhibition
2023 Radio Interview, Brooklands Radio
2023 In-person interview at Sam Beare Bookshop with Barry Richards
2022 Podcast interview, ‘Feminine Roadmap’
2022 Podcast interview, ‘Beyond the Paint’ with Bernadine Franco
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