Valérie Abella

valabella@hotmail.com
www.valerieabella.canalblog.com

 Education

Institut d'Arts Visuels, Orléans, France.
1999/2002 :
Diplôme National d'Arts et Techniques
Graphic Design Specialization.
Graduated.
2002/2005 :
Diplôme National Supérieur en Expression Plastique
(National Higher Diploma of Expression through Plastic Arts)
Photography Specialization. Graduated with distinction.

1998
Saint Petersburg Junior College, Florida, USA
Graphic Design, History of the Mass Media, Critical Reading and Thinking

Personal Exhibition
 
December 2002
« People »
Photographs.  A series of close portraits taken while wandering in the streets.  Orléans, France
Shown in 4 community centers at the same time throughout the city, as part of « The Smile Day », an event I set up, meant to emphasize the necessity  to open oneself to others.
Grants from the Crédit Mutuel Bank and the town council.
Reviewed by local radios and « La République du Centre », the local newspaper.

Since 2008 :
Photography blog on the internet,  record of my personal research.

Statement

Valérie Abella is an artist using photography and at times video. She still works fulltime to feed herself. A bereavement in her family induced her to ponder upon the value of living. She decided to move to Reunion Island 3 years ago, wanting to see if life was different under unfamiliar stars, clouds and sun.

Life is a series of moments, each containing past and future. Valérie’s photographs are an attempt to seize some of these moments so she can tie herself to them and feel real. When she takes a picture of a piece of grass, it becomes hers for the second when photography makes it still and immortal. During that second, she belongs and is that piece of grass, in some way she’s photographing herself. When she imprints some of the reality around her on a sensitive surface, than is able to reproduce it, it’s a kind of re-creation.

The sharpness of details and the closest possible accuracy in reproducing the light and colors are essential to Valérie. She never digitally alters the images other than what is strictly necessary to edit them and bring them closer to what the subject looked like when the photograph was taken.

She often takes her car and drives around, looking for places where human presence is barely there to be felt. Then she starts to wander around and try to become aware only of time and space around her. She tries to reach some kind of inner silence, and starts to take photographs, until she feels the place is used up, that anything it has to say has been recorded, at least everything she’s able to see. Valérie tries to capture these specific samples of time and space for others to see and feel.