Valérie

Through 'Valérie', I examine questions of existential abjection and dejection, bodily autonomy under institutional control, and the nature of unknowability in relationships mediated entirely through the page or screen. The images I am creating are inspired by the work, and my connection to the work, of French author Valérie Valère (1961-1982), in whose writings existential disillusionment and a sustained revolt against those who attempt to control or limit her or her characters are prominent themes. Extensive research around Valérie Valère's life, art, and milieu will underpin this body of work, in which what I can know of her experience is interwoven with what I understand of mine, and in which recognition and distance, sameness and otherness are explored.

2026-ongoing