| Artist Profile of Emily Valentine |
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Artist statement:
'Feathers are my paint. Over the last ten years I have developed my own technique and style using feathers from road kill, cat kill and dead pets. Recently I have moved into a new source of feathers. I have been trapping and killing the registered pest, the Indian Mynah bird. With these feathers I made Mynah Collie 2007, a feathered dog, one of my dog flu series, and it was awarded a merit prize in the Norseweart, the New Zealand Contemporary Art Award.
Galah Collie was acquired by the Northern Territory Craft Council in the 2007 Acquisition Prize.
In my work I wish to discuss how attitudes to wearing animals and birds parts have changed. Is this just because of fashion, or has society become more caring of animals? I wish to stimulate the viewer with the uncomfortable nature of the feather, to question our callousness treatment of animals and birds, and ask how we sub-consciously classify animals, pet or pest, valued or worthless, beautiful or plain and why.
The death of my own two budgies inspired me to make 'Budgerigar Brassiere', which won the Mac's Bizarre Bra award at the World of Wearable Art in 2002. This led me on to make work about the breast. Two bras were shown in the JOC (Jewellery Out of Context) exhibition which did a world tour.
In 2005 and 2006, with the assistance of a Visions grant, I co-curated 'Melding' an exhibition of contemporary jewellery from NSW that toured to 8 regional galleries throughout Australia.
I majored in jewellery at Sydney College of the Arts finishing in 1987, and worked in the fashion industry for 7 years. Presently, my work is regularly exhibiting in galleries and is used successfully in theatre, dance and performance.'
Please contact the gallery for further information on available work.
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Selected works of Emily Valentine
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