Valentina Lupi - Valerie's pearl
Valerie's pearl is a title that evokes both the unsettling and the marvelous, inspired by the film Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, in which the young protagonist constantly flees from dark and malevolent presences, finding salvation by placing a pearl in her mouth. This small but powerful object becomes a true key to salvation, a talisman that, like an alchemical ritual, offers protection and redemption.
Furthermore, the pearl evokes the concepts of rarity and luminosity: its shiny, iridescent surface reflects light in an almost hypnotic manner, much like the works on display, which stand out for their brilliance and ability to captivate the viewer's attention. The intrinsic preciousness of the pearl mirrors that of the displayed elements, which, in their finiteness, offer themselves as a form of aesthetic salvation, inviting the observer to reflect more deeply on the role of art in our existence.
Thus, the works here displayed are not merely a physical object, but a profound metaphor, representing art itself as a refuge—an element capable of elevating us above the daily routine.
Valentina Lupi
Born in Arezzo (IT), 1997.
Education:
2016:
Academy of Fine Arts, Bologna.
2020:
Bachelor's degree in Painting, ABABO, and beginning of the two-years Master’s in Visual Arts.
Exhibitions:
2020:
Group exhibition Da un quotidiano imposto, curated by Luca Caccioni and Mattia Pajè.
2021:
Invited artist in Tableau vivant, curated by Luigi Presicce, in the exhibition Le Storie della Vera Croce, Mattatoio, Rome, curated by Angel Moya Garcia.
Group exhibition Vuoto Apparente, Teatro Litta, Milan, curated by Exit Strategy.
Group exhibition A TINY BIT OF FIRE, curated by Robyn Graham, Warbling Collective, Fitzrovia Gallery, London.
Finalist in the DUCATO PRIZE, Academy Art Prize section, 2021.
2022:
Painting symposium, 2022 edition, Lac o Le Mon Foundation, Puglia.
Group exhibition Drawings, curated by Art Motel, Bologna.
2023:
Group exhibition Drawings, Art Motel, curated by Dario Molinaro, Museo Civico di Gerace.
Group exhibition AFFASCINANTE, curated by Luigi Presicce and Gioele Meandri, Museo Civico Luigi Varoli.
Painting symposium, 2023 edition, Lac o Le Mon Foundation, Puglia.
Publication in A.Fanzine, Stati di Grazia, curated by Mattia Cattaneo and Laura Gradi, Aracne.
Publication in FOOD, book published by Dito Publishing & Studio, Rome.
2024:
Group exhibition i Sibburchi, curated by Eresie Pellegrine and Polka Puttana, Lecce, Chiese della Madonna degli Studenti.
Bi-personal exhibition Guerriere d’amore nel Sogno, curated by La Tana delle Tigri, Florence, Piramide del Parco delle Cascine.
Performer in La notte, il sogno di Uccello, la madre che canta la guerra by Luigi Presicce, Italy, Kilowatt Festival.
Finalist in the Fondazione Francesco Fabbri Award, Emerging Art section.
2025:
Valerie's Pearl, solo exhibition, CONTRAPPUNTO, VIN VIN Vienna / Naples, Vienna.
Group exhibition Intorno alla stella, Nashira Gallery, Milan.
Solo show IL CREPACCIO, online exhibition, curated by Caroline Corbetta.