Multiple Ones: Contemporary Perspectives in Printmedia
For artist Holly Lee, many of the works featured in her new solo exhibition at the Hunterdon Art Museum hold a special significance.
The beast is as feral as the untamed nature of the planet itself. Here, the beasts are larger than the human in this very civilized place. The intention of the scale of this work is to elevate the beast as equal if not larger than the human. People collect animals. We collect them in zoos, in our homes, in our stories, in our popular culture. We transform them into digestible versions of what they truly are. We try to humanize them, observe them, enslave them to perform for us and to work for us. They feed us. We infuse them with human traits through our movies, animations and literature, pretending they can possess language skills. We put clothing on them, infuse them with symbols possessing mystical powers and associate them with religious piety. They become participants in our myths and fairy tales and we make toys in their likeness all in an attempt to domesticate them. We mindlessly and greedily eradicate their native environments in service of our own. These paintings are meant to give these very familiar animals a confrontational presence to remind the viewer of their huge relevance in our lives.
-Val Sivilli
Val Sivilli is an accomplished painter and printmaker known for her distinctive storytelling through visual art. She holds a BFA from Alfred University and an MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers. Early in her career, Val worked at Bob Blackburn’s Printmaking Workshop in New York, assisting renowned artists Leon Golub and Nancy Spero.
In the 1990s, Val moved to the Delaware Valley, where she became a prominent local artist and community organizer. She co-founded the cooperative gallery “STEAMROLLER” and organized numerous art-driven events. Val also operated Civilian Art, a handprinted clothing and design business, before dedicating herself fully to her art in 2015.
Val founded THAT, The Hunterdon Art Tour, in 2016 and established the virtual ‘Civilian School of Art’ during the Covid pandemic. In 2022, she created the STEAMROLLER GROUP, an artist collective fostering community and collaboration.
Val has taught at several institutions, including TCNJ and Rutgers, and received the New Jersey Individual Artist Grant and the Esther and Adolf Gottlieb Individual Artist Grant in 2024. She continues to inspire through her innovative work and dedication to the artistic community.
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Programs are made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Hyde and Watson Foundation; The Large Foundation; and The Holt Foundation, along with other corporations, foundations, and individuals.
For artist Holly Lee, many of the works featured in her new solo exhibition at the Hunterdon Art Museum hold a special significance.