Intro
The speaker of Creative Counterpoints '23 is renowned artist, Vincent Valdez, on the occasion of the publication of In Memory (Radius, Fall’22), the first book-length study of Valdez’s work.
Vincent Valdez blends large, representational paintings—the scale of which recalls Western traditions of history painting and mural painting, and cinema—with contemporary subject matters.
In Memory comprises a selection from Valdez’s body of work, curatorial essays, and poetry inspired by and conversing with Valdez’s work. A portion of the text is in Spanish.
The artist will discuss the scope of his work and the materials and inspiration of In Memory. He will then be in conversation with a panel of MassArt students practicing in various artistic fields.
Creative Counterpoints is sponsored by the Liberal Arts Departments, the President’s Office, Academic Affairs, and The Office of Justice, Equity, and Transformation (JET).
For more information, contact Marika Preziuso mpreziuso@massart.edu
Event Poster
Creative Counterpoints '23
Vincent Valdez: In Memory
Talk and Conversation
MY AIM IS TO INCITE PUBLIC REMEMBERANCE AND IMPEDE SOCIAL AMNESIA - VINCENT VALDEZ
TALK & QA Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 6:30-8 pm Tower Auditorium, MassArt Reception & Book signing to follow The event will also be livestreamed
CONVERSATION Wednesday, April 5, 2023, 1-2 pm Huntington Studio, DMC, MassArt Vincent Valdez will be in an intimate conversation with MassArt students, faculty and staff
Video: April 5, 2023 Event
Publications
- The Strangest Fruit
The Strangest Fruit
Staniar Gallery
Washington and Lee University
April 27–May 29, 2015 - The Beginning Is Near, Ch I
The Beginning Is Near, Ch I: The City 2016 - The Beginning Is Near, Ch.II
The Beginning Is Near, Ch.II: Dream Baby Dream 2017 - America’s Finest
America’s Finest: Recent Works by Vincent Valdez, 2012
Vincent Valdez: in Memory by Call Number: N6490 .M335 2023ISBN: 9781955161084Publication Date: 2023-04-25"Vincent Valdez blends large, representational paintings, the scale of which recall Western traditions of history painting as well as mural painting and cinema, with contemporary subject matter. "Vincent Valdez: In Memory" is the first book-length study of his work, which focuses on subjects that explore his observations and experience of life in the twenty-first century. The results are powerful images of American identity that confront injustice and inequity while imbuing his subjects with empathy and humanity. Valdez states, "My aim is to incite public remembrance and to impede distorted realities that I witness, like the social amnesia that surrounds us all." Recognized for his monumental portrayal of the contemporary figure, his drawn and painted subjects remark on a universal struggle within various socio-political arenas and eras."
Articles
- An All-American Family Portrait, in WhiteDownes, Lawrence. “An All-American Family Portrait, in White.” The New York Times, 6 Mar. 2016, p. 8.
- The People's Champion: The first two installments of Vincent Valdez's The Beginning Is Near trilogyAgresta, Michael. "The People's Champion: The first two installments of Vincent Valdez's The Beginning Is Near trilogy--on view now in Austin and Houston, respectively--paint a picture of a fight for America's soul." Texas Monthly, vol. 46, no. 9, Sept. 2018