Valentina Tansley


Collated Collateral
8″x9.8″; hand-printed paper fragments on board; 2017

Valentina Tansley
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

STATEMENT

As a metropolitan-based artist and surface designer, I find visual inspiration for my work all around me. I find beauty in urban decay, built heritage, architectural character and the random juxtaposition of shapes and objects within the city landscape.

I also have a fascination with refuse and detritus, of which our city generates plenty. Our society’s excessive consumerism and waste generation is a big influence on my work. I am both fascinated and appalled by the myriad of complex plastic packaging and waste forced upon us daily.

What started out as a passing interest in exploring the characteristics of waste objects has developed over the past eighteen months into a practice deeply entrenched in plastic packaging of all shapes and sizes. In my detailed examination of various forms of packaging, I have discovered that much of it is quite complex and visually intriguing.

My current work examines our throw-away culture one piece at a time and is physically created from this ideology. I consciously choose to work with specific discarded waste objects as the starting point of each piece. I carefully print these objects onto a predetermined mathematical selection of coloured paper, using a combination of relief printing techniques. The prints are then cut or torn, representing the subconscious destruction of beauty. The paper fragments are then reassembled and manipulated into controlled chaos.

I strive to make art that is not only conceptually strong but also visually satisfying. I take pride in beautiful mark making and creating complex patterned works of art that captivate the observer.

BIO

Valentina Tansley is a contemporary printmaking artist and surface designer who works with textured paper collage. Based in Melbourne, Australia, Valentina initially studied music and sound design before shifting her focus into the visual sphere. She completed a Diploma of Visual Arts with the International School of Colour and Design and graduated as Surface Designer of the year in 2016.

Her works are housed in many private collections and have been exhibited at Brunswick Street Gallery, Linden New Art and Gippsland Art Gallery.

ARTIST CONTACT

[click to email]
tansley.com.au

IMAGES


Detritus Dependence
23.6″x35.4″; hand-printed paper fragments on plywood; 2017


Delicious Detritus
8″x9.8″; hand-printed paper fragments on board; 2017


Daring Detritus
35.4″x23.6″; hand-printed paper fragments on reclaimed board; 2017


Detritus Devour
23.6″x35.4″; hand-printed paper fragments on plywood; 2017