Val P is a contemporary painter whose work explores identity, recognition, and the relationship between the human body and the natural world. Influenced by her Balkan heritage and the preservation of memory, Val’s work has long been shaped by ideas of land, belonging, and resilience. After completing her MFA at the School of Visual Arts, she moved from New York City to the Midwest, where nature continues to inform her practice. Through layered impasto surfaces she creates paintings that explore identity in a changing cultural landscape.
Artist Statement
My work disrupts traditional ideas of portraiture by replacing the heads with flowers, challenging how we define and recognize the human form. By removing the face, the most recognizable part of the body, I question the connection between appearance and identity.
Through the use of floral forms, my work explores themes of transformation, anonymity, and perception. As a commentary on surveillance and facial recognition, these portraits consider what happens when a face can no longer be easily identified and ask how we understand one another beyond what is visible.
Mini Interview
What is the central theme or concept behind your current body of work?
Through narrative, my paintings explore how identity is constructed, remembered, and transformed. I use the figure, floral forms, and fragments of the natural world as sites where memory and identity overlap.
How do you hope your work resonates with or impacts your viewers?
I hope my work invites viewers to reconsider how identity can be expressed and understood through gestures, movement, clothing, and positioning. Just as my own identity, shaped by both my Balkan heritage and my American upbringing, is complex, I hope my work invites viewers to recognize a sense of community amidst differences.
Can you share a pivotal moment that has shaped your artistic journey?
During an artist residency in Helgoland, Germany, I noticed a pot of flowers placed inside a pair of pants outside Kreativ Cafe, an image that resonated with me so deeply that I knew I had to paint it. After meeting the café’s owner, and learning about each other’s different backgrounds, I realized we shared a connection to these “flower pants”. Since then, I have continued to explore what drew me to this image and how it reflects the complexities of identity, heritage, and our shared human experience.
What advice would you offer to emerging artists navigating today’s art world?
In an art world that can feel so focused on production and monetary value, I think it is important to stay connected to the genuine roots of our creative practice and not let outside pressures taint them. Success looks different for everyone, but creating from a place of pure intention should always be at the core.
Are there any upcoming projects or exhibitions you would like to share with our readers?
I have been invited by the curator of the Helgoland Symposium to participate in an exhibition in Germany this July. In the meantime, I am continuing to paint, teach, care for my chickens, and enjoy life day by day.
