Biography/Um Lauru
Laura Valentino has a masters degree in fine arts from the University of California, Berkeley, and has resided in Iceland since 1988. With a background in painting, she became interested in historic photographic processes in the late 90s and now considers herself first and foremost a printmaker.
Laura joined the Association of Icelandic Artists (SÍM) and the Icelandic Printmakers Association (Íslensk Grafík) in 2008 and was a founding member of Iceland Film Photography Association in 2014. She was on the board of Íslensk Grafík (studio committee) for 10 years and teaches workshops in the gum bichromate process. She curated an exhibition of analog and alternative photography at Gallery Fold in 2018.
Laura is among 10 Icelandic printmakers selected for the traveling exhibition Solander 250 — Letters from Iceland, currently traveling around Iceland. The project is a collaboration between the Swedish embassy and The Icelandic Printmakers Association.
Recently, Laura has been working in hybrid media, blending photogravure with pastel painting.
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Laura Valentino hefur meistaragráðu í myndlist frá Kaliforníuháskóla, Berkeley. Hún flutti til Íslands árið 1988 og hefur búið hér síðan. Laura hefur tekið þátt í mörgum sýningum hérlendis og erlendis, sem málari og grafíklistamaður. Hún hefur kynnt sér gamla ljósmyndatækni síðan á tíunda áratug síðustu aldar, og lítur fyrst og fremst á sig sem grafíklistamaður (printmaker).
Laura gekk til liðs við SÍM og Íslenska Grafík 2008 og stofnaði ásamt fleirum Félag filmuljósmyndara á Íslandi árið 2014. Hún var í stjórn (stúdíónefnd) ÍG í 10 ár og kennir námskeið í gum bichromate aðferð. Hún var sýningastjóri sýningar um hliðrænum og óhefðbundnum ljósmyndum í Gallerí Fold árið 2018.
Laura er meðal tíu íslenskra grafíklistamanna sem valdir voru fyrir Solander 250 sýninguna — Bréf frá Íslandi, sem er á sýningarferð um landið. Bréf frá Íslandi er samstarfsverkefni sænska sendiráðsins og Félagsins íslenskrar grafíkur.
Undanfarið hefur Laura unnið með blandaða tækni sem byggir á pastelmálun og photogravure.
photo: Laura Andrés Esteban
Artist Statement/Yfirlýsing
I work with traditional photographic processes exploring sensuality and beauty in the classic themes of landscape, portraiture, and the human form. The focus is to grasp a timeless and universal sensibility in present day subjects. Working with analog processes is a tactile approach which allows time and space to achieve layers of separation from the subject matter, resulting in an evocative image that reflects the passage of time.
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Laura Valentino notar hefðbunda ljósmyndaferla þegar hún kannar lystisemdir og fegurð sígilds efniviðar í landslagi, andliti og formi manneskjunnar. Markmiðið er að fanga eilífa og almenna tilfinningu í viðfangsefnum dagsins. Þegar framkallað er með hliðrænum aðferðum, gefst tími og rými fyrir fjarlægð milli viðfangs og túlkunar. Útkoman verður mynd sem vekur minningar og kenndir, og endurspeglar gang tímans.
Selected Shows/Valdar sýningar
2022-23: Solander 250—Bréf frá Íslandi, Traveling show around Iceland.
2021: Living 2020, SÍM Gallery, Reykjavík, Iceland (solo exhibit).
2020: Altered Reality, Lightbox Photographic Gallery, Astoria, Oregon, USA.
2020: Icelandic Printmakers Association 50th Anniversary Show, Nordic House, Reykjavík, Iceland.
2019: I was here, International Pinhole Photography Exhibition, Clifford-Thames Gallery, London, UK.
2019: I Remember the Mountain, Reykjavik Photography Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland (solo exhibit).
2019: Greetings from Reykjavik, Galleria Joella, Turku, Finland.
2019: Listamaður Grafíkvina/Graphic Friends’ Artist 2019, IPA Gallery, Reykjavík, Iceland (solo exhibit).
2018: Andlit Jarðar/Earth Portraits, IPA Gallery, Reykjavík, Iceland (solo exhibit).
2018: Eitt andartak/One Moment, Gallerí Fold, Reykjavík, Iceland (curator).
2018: Coast to Coast, Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries, Scotland.
2017–2018: Technology & Touch, Traveling exhibit in San Francisco, Las Vegas and Reykjavík.
2017: Hrævareldar, Gallerí Nordens ljus, Stockholm, Sweden.
2016: Iceland–USA Exchange Show, Manhattan Graphics, NYC, NY.
2015: GraN (Grafik Nordica Triennial), Akureyri Art Museum, Akureyri, Iceland.
2015: AgX—Silver Gelatin Prints, Custom Photo Lab Gallery, Reykjavík, Iceland.
2014: Pushed & Pulled: Iceland Film Photography Association Debut Exhibition, IPA Gallery, Reykjavík.
2014: Icelandic Prints, Scandinavian Living Center, West Newton, MA, USA.
2014: Continental Drift: Printmakers Converge, Belmont Gallery of Art, Belmont, MA, USA.
2014: Iceland and Boston Printmakers, IPA Gallery, Reykjavík, Iceland.
2009: Archetypal Men, IPA Gallery, Reykjavík, Iceland (solo exhibit).