Anna Valenti: Linger is on view at Plinth Gallery, Denver
October 6-28, 2023
For our October exhibition, Plinth Gallery is pleased to present the work of Anna Valenti. The artist received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado at Boulder and completed her Master of Fine Arts in ceramics from the Maine College of Art and Design. She is a recipient of an NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) Graduate Student Fellowship and a Colorado Art Grant. Valenti is currently an assistant professor at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.
Inspired by family traditions of weaving and gardening, her work centers around gathering spaces and objects that cultivate connection. A mix of materials plays an important part in her work. From hemp to linen to cellulose, she adds fibers to clay bodies to improve tensile strength for building as well as structural support for handling. In a soft state, clay and fiber memories parallel one another. She makes coils of this fiber clay by hand-rolling and pinching, leaving impressions with each touch of the hand. Every weaving starts with a single line: over and under at intersecting angles, through layers of multiple coils of fiber clay, she builds up lattice forms.
Anna Valenti’s work centers around gathering spaces that cultivate connection. She builds architectural installations with screened structures that provide shade, airflow and shelter while symbolizing openness, empathy, and connectivity. Trellises, pergolas, and courtyards are open, airy structures that dance between indoor and outdoor spaces. Lattice is an arrangement of overlapping laths that form an anchor for something to hold onto or space for growth. These support structures offer a place for people to gather and a moment to rest beneath the shade. She creates these spaces to slow down, contemplate, gather, and connect.
Contact
gallery@plinthgallery.com
Plinth Gallery
River North Art District (RiNo)
3520 Brighton Blvd
Denver, CO 80216
United States
