Valentino is an interdisciplinary artist working in both 2D and 3D. He recently graduated with an MA in Fine Art at City and Guilds of London Art School (September 2023) and he has been awarded a residency at Standpoint Gallery starting mid-November 2023 to mid-January 2024. In 2021-2022, he focused on developing his drawing at the Royal Drawing School. Previously, he worked in the fashion and beauty industry, and this led him to deepen his interest and understanding of fibres. He moved to London from Italy ten years ago. In 2014, he graduated in Art, Drama and Music Studies BA (Hons) from the University of Bologna.
“The glass and cast fellowship at City and Guilds is an exhilarating opportunity as it will allow me to keep experimenting within the casting practices. My work often traces the surface and textures of materials. I am mostly familiar with the fibrous nature of materiality and its liveliness. That’s what made my encounter with glass a total surprise. We are so accustomed to touching the matter which makes our glasses and windows and yet it is so unfamiliar. This will be for me almost a new departure in a world which requires an incredible amount of knowledge to navigate. In this I feel extremely grateful to be supported by an incredible team: Anne Petters, Philippa Beveridge and the other fellows in the glass and casting department.
Cruising as a queer act of defiance and resilience against social norms defines the subject of my practice. My installations, sculptures, prints and drawings explore this liminal territory. The performative act of searching for sex translated into my making is imbued with anticipation, loneliness, anonymity, and desire. My work aims to understand how we navigate this elusive environment. While not speaking directly about the body, it traces its presence and unmakes the frames of its representation.”