Sarah Valeri 'I Didn't Ask To Carry It'
Drawer 5- I didn't ask to carry it, c. 2020, graphite on yupo, 11" x 14"
Artist Statement
For most of my waking life I have painted by composing images through balances or imbalances of intense color. Over the past few months I have sought out graphite sticks and all forms of gray drawing materials that connect me more to an experience of pressure and contact. While this was perhaps born of a need to press hard and be forceful it has also connected me with memories of interactions that require delicacy and a softer touch. At times a gentle pressure is needed for listening, for waiting for a subtle response. I hope all these gradations of pressure come together in these drawings of beings that push against the dark or find movement while broken.
Artist Bio
Sarah Valeri began independently exhibiting paintings throughout the New York metropolitan area after moving to the city and completing her Art Therapy MA at NYU in 2006. Since then she has exhibited paintings and drawings of an idiosyncratic mythology locally and internationally through galleries, uninvited mail, and independent projects. In 2017 she presented a solo exhibition by invitation at the Museo Exconvento de Tiripetío in Michoacán, Mexico, and she has completed residencies at Festival Guitarra de Paracho in Michoacán, 2018, Trestle Art Space in Brooklyn, 2019, and the Studios at Mass MoCA in 2020. Currently she is working on a series of paintings focused on the relationship between fragility and strength within a person, as well as researching artistic interactions with children who are visually impaired.
Drawer 5- I didn't ask to carry it, c. 2020, graphite on yupo, 11" x 14"
Artist Statement
For most of my waking life I have painted by composing images through balances or imbalances of intense color. Over the past few months I have sought out graphite sticks and all forms of gray drawing materials that connect me more to an experience of pressure and contact. While this was perhaps born of a need to press hard and be forceful it has also connected me with memories of interactions that require delicacy and a softer touch. At times a gentle pressure is needed for listening, for waiting for a subtle response. I hope all these gradations of pressure come together in these drawings of beings that push against the dark or find movement while broken.
Artist Bio
Sarah Valeri began independently exhibiting paintings throughout the New York metropolitan area after moving to the city and completing her Art Therapy MA at NYU in 2006. Since then she has exhibited paintings and drawings of an idiosyncratic mythology locally and internationally through galleries, uninvited mail, and independent projects. In 2017 she presented a solo exhibition by invitation at the Museo Exconvento de Tiripetío in Michoacán, Mexico, and she has completed residencies at Festival Guitarra de Paracho in Michoacán, 2018, Trestle Art Space in Brooklyn, 2019, and the Studios at Mass MoCA in 2020. Currently she is working on a series of paintings focused on the relationship between fragility and strength within a person, as well as researching artistic interactions with children who are visually impaired.
Drawer 5- I didn't ask to carry it, c. 2020, graphite on yupo, 11" x 14"
Artist Statement
For most of my waking life I have painted by composing images through balances or imbalances of intense color. Over the past few months I have sought out graphite sticks and all forms of gray drawing materials that connect me more to an experience of pressure and contact. While this was perhaps born of a need to press hard and be forceful it has also connected me with memories of interactions that require delicacy and a softer touch. At times a gentle pressure is needed for listening, for waiting for a subtle response. I hope all these gradations of pressure come together in these drawings of beings that push against the dark or find movement while broken.
Artist Bio
Sarah Valeri began independently exhibiting paintings throughout the New York metropolitan area after moving to the city and completing her Art Therapy MA at NYU in 2006. Since then she has exhibited paintings and drawings of an idiosyncratic mythology locally and internationally through galleries, uninvited mail, and independent projects. In 2017 she presented a solo exhibition by invitation at the Museo Exconvento de Tiripetío in Michoacán, Mexico, and she has completed residencies at Festival Guitarra de Paracho in Michoacán, 2018, Trestle Art Space in Brooklyn, 2019, and the Studios at Mass MoCA in 2020. Currently she is working on a series of paintings focused on the relationship between fragility and strength within a person, as well as researching artistic interactions with children who are visually impaired.