Love Story: Valerie Vigar & Giorgia Bel
Saint Cloche gallery presents its first Pas De Deux for 2022 with a deeply emotive curatorial amalgam between Valerie Vigar and Giorgia Bel, with Love Story.
Words: Hande Renshaw | Photography: Val Sebastian Kriete & Giorgia Bel
Above the World wall sculpture by Valerie Vigar. Photo: Val Sebastian Kriete
‘As a fashion stylist I looked to interpret what I saw on the runway, texture has always appealed and has now become an intrinsic part of my work with ceramics,’ says Valerie Vigar.. Photo: Val Sebastian Kriete
Joining forces for a Pas De Deux, the first for Saint Cloche gallery for 2022, Newcastle-based self-taught artist Giorgia Bel and Sydney-based ceramic artist Valerie Vigar both embrace stillness for the combined exhibition.
For Valerie, stillness was a forced outcome that came out of lockdown, making her process more stop than start, resulting in a solitude, which was very much welcome for the artist.
‘I found it incredibly cathartic and mediative showing up in my shed each morning before the sun rose or home schooling began. There was clarity in the silence of the morning, which meant I was able to plan the making day ahead,’ says Valerie.
Through painting, Giorgia learnt to embrace stillness and discovered a newfound patience, which is evident in her considered approach to the natural environment from where she draws her inspiration.
‘My practice is heavily inspired by the Australian landscape and the dreamt or imagined views of this. Exaggerated colour, abstract line and a ‘messy’ brush stroke may or may not be signature to my work. They are free but not rushed, like a child’s mind and play. This is important to me,’ she says.
Giorgia’s paintings reflect landscapes that are fun and free, painted with a loose and fluid hand, with colours melded into each other.
Her still life paintings on the other hand, are juxtaposed, more intricate and delicate, ‘I find myself extremely still and calm when I paint these.’
“This body of work is an expression of optimism. It took shape during Sydney’s lockdown, through daily meditation within a shed, in my head and on daily walks above the ocean.”
Anthurium Dealt by Giorgia Bel. Photo: Giorgia Bel
‘My process is very much driven by the emotions I feel. I think that’s how I get the work done,’ says Giorgia Bel. Photo: Giorgia Bel
Formerly trained as a fashion designer, Valerie always comes back to texture in her practice, ‘As a fashion stylist I looked to interpret what I saw on the runway, texture has always appealed and has now become an intrinsic part of my work with ceramics.’
The artist’s ceramic pieces always begin with a sketch, with the final form taking shape as her process develops, ‘The original drawing is a starting point, changes occur thanks to the material or the mood; I try to keep it playful and loose as I possibly can.’
The use of emotion in both Valerie and Giorgia’s work reflects a playful vulnerability.
‘The subjects I paint are important to me – they make me feel calm, present, playful, sometimes melancholy, sometimes bold. Many people tell me they feel these things when looking at my work, and to me that’s success. If you feel somewhat of what I felt or feel about it, I’m over the moon,’ says Giorgia.
Sun Lover He lamp by Valerie Vigar.. Photo: Val Sebastian Kriete
Copper Smile by Giorgia Bel. Photo: Giorgia Bel
“This collection is brought to you from a depth in my heart that can’t be described by mere words. It is from the depths of my feeling world.”
‘The abstract portraiture is sentimental. They form out of people I love and see, through the way they live,’ says Georgia. Pictured: You Stare by Giorgia Bel. Photo: Giorgia Bel
Jewelled Skies vase and Mornings vase by Valerie Vigar. Photo: Val Sebastian Kriete
VISIT LOVE STORY AT SAINT CLOCHE
WEDNESDAY 2ND FEBRUARY - SUNDAY 13TH FEBRUARY
37 MacDonald Street, Paddington, Sydney