Interview: Textile Artist Vanessa Valero
At the Other Art Fair in Los Angeles this past fall, a beautiful woven tapestry of the mountains stopped in my tracks. The depth of colors and textures was unlike other pieces I had seen. I went around the corner and found an equally mesmerizing set of work, but in a completely different format - watercolors of plants and flowers delicately and intricately painted. Was this the work of the same artist? It turned out to be Colombian artist Vanessa Valero who is inspired by the nature in her native Bogota from the expansive Andes to the flora and fauna around her. “The Andes shape us as a culture in South America,” she reflected.
We met over video chat last month to talk more about her breadth of art and experience. Valero is currently working in Paris on new set of works combing her textile, embroidery, and painting skills to create large scale works. "I create a piece a week," she revealed, speaking of her prolific output. Part of her magic is how she balances and blends an extensive color palette – "I don't do eight colors. I do a color palette of 30". Each piece is a visual symphony, a narrative woven in threads, colors, and the tiniest of details.
As a child, Valero found solace in creating tapestries, making her first at only 11 and spending all her holidays perfecting her craft. When it came time to go to college, however, she veered towards law, a field chosen more for its practicality than passion. Her heart wasn't in it, and as started taking classes in photography and design, shifting to a more creative major. “My spirit just felt it”, she shared.
Post graduation, Valero went to Finland to get her Masters in Textile Design at Aalto University. There through an internship in Iceland with Sigrun Lara Shanko she came to fall in love with tufting to create thicker carpets which are now her signature style. Returning to Finland, Valero's talent found a global stage. She won the prestigious contract to design a carpet for the Van Gogh Museum, a project realized by the Danish company Desso Design. This accomplishment marked her as a rising star in the world of textile art.
Fresh off the heels of this win, she returned to Colombia to open her own studio and work as a professor at her old University. When she initially shared her work, understanding and acceptance of her art form were slow to come. "When I came back, people didn't understand what I did. Is it art? But is it like a carpet? Why do you put it on the wall?" Valero recounted the confusion her work initially sparked. Undeterred, she poured her earnings from teaching into building her studio, transforming the confusion into curiosity and appreciation.
Among her many creations, one piece holds a special place in Valero’s heart – the tapestry from her thesis, Iceland. It's a work imbued with personal emotion and inspired by the northern lights and the vibrant landscape of Iceland. "It's the only one I keep," she confessed, revealing the deep connection she feels with this piece.
As our chat draws to a close, she shares her next destination – India, for an artist residency at Boathouse in Ahmedabad, a place near and dear to my heart. There she’ll continue expanding her practice to larger scale works with embroidery and paint, “I sometimes feel like I need to focus more, but at the same time, I don't care. I like to explore what I like to explore”. As she continues to evolve and seek out adventure, I can’t help to think about what is to come. In Valero's world, every thread tells a story, and every color sings a song, inviting us to see the world through her eyes – vivid, dynamic, and beautifully woven.
Vanessa Valero’s pieces are available for purchase here on Saatchi. Follow her on Instagram for all the latest.