2016, compressed and hardened newspaper and books, wood, 96” x 33”
2016, compressed and hardened newspaper and books, wood, 96” x 33”
2016, Cast concrete relief of stacked books and recycled newspaper, pigmented resin, 48” x 31”
2016, cast concrete paper stacks with quarts inclusions, 25” x 18” x 18”
2017, Cast concrete, steel, selenite crystals, stain, full scale
2017, cast concrete, steel, selenite crystals, stain, full scale
2016, robotically milled and hand carved Italian marble with bronze, 2:1 ratio, 38” x 38” x 38”
2019, pigmented and cast concrete with grown MAP crystals, 27” x 20” x 13”
2017, cast concrete lightbulb submerged in crystal growing solution, 12” x 12” x 12”
2017, Found antique teacup with grown MAP crystals, 8” x 8” x 8”
Artist Statement
Through an imaginative exploration of a variety of materials and processes I strive to find a balance between aesthetic value and intellectual understanding. Within my artwork I incorporate a multitude of skills ranging from mold making and casting concrete, to metal fabrication, woodworking, digital fabrication, as well as experimental processes such as crystal growing. While the visual properties of my work have rapidly changed and developed over the short course of a decade, the underlying theme and my interest in the relative understanding of time is ever present. By combining motifs of geological development, archeological remains, advancing technology, and modern-day imagery that is destined to vanish over time, I feel that I am simultaneously exploring the past, present, and the future.
-- Zach Valent
Bio
I grew up in the quaint river city of Peoria Illinois. While I enjoyed all the benefits of growing up in an urban area, I also found myself escaping to the nearby wilderness every chance I could get. I love nature and wildlife which ultimately became a great inspiration for my work. Having grown up by simple means, my earliest artworks were created with household and recycled items. My father was a roofing contractor, so I had plenty of access to scrap construction materials and just enough tools to make things happen.
In 2014 after completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale located in the Shawnee National Forest, I took a leap for adventure and moved to the Sonoran Desert to pursue a Master of Fine Arts Degree at ASU. Since relocating to Tempe, Arizona, my artistic practice has shifted and developed beyond my imagination. Through the pursuit of academic success as well as a professional career as an artist, my studio practice has intensified and become much more serious. In the past couple years, my artwork has been exhibited and purchased both nationally and internationally. Currently I work alongside a collective of artists at LOT 14 Studios.
— Zach Valent