“I hope my generation, and the next and the next and so on, choose a path of ‘we’ not ‘l’. For far too long certain people in positions of power have chosen to fuel societal division and disaster in the name of wealth and more power for a few. I hope this is changing.”
Name
Toni Vallance
Profession
Visual artist
Website
Where are you from?
Aotearoa New Zealand, currently living and making in Naarm Melbourne, Australia.
Your style in 3 words?
Intuitive, gestural, abstract
Your weakness? Your strength?
I can be a bit impatient. Determination and problem solving.
What makes you different?
Mindset.
When did you decide to become an artist?
I don’t think there was a single moment. I’ve always felt something within me that needed to be expressed creatively…….It just took me a while to find the way to do it. I think life experience has a lot to do with it.
Do you choose your art form, or does the form choose you?
Chooses you.
What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?
That it seemingly comes out of nowhere. That something is created from nothing.
A few words about your favorite creation?
Each new piece becomes my favourite because it is usually hard won and teaches me something. Then it’s onto the next piece or project. With my most recent work, I have followed my intuition more than I usually do and it has freed the work up a lot, which I’m loving. I have also been using my fingers to push the paint around which feels spiritual in a sense – being in direct contact with the surface and materials takes me into another world. I have no sense of time or space.
What surprised you most about your first art shows?
That they actually happened! I wasn’t expecting to have one, let alone two, while still studying.
Someone else’s work that inspired or inspires you…
Too many to list, but at the top are Martha Jungwirth, Cy Twombly and Joan Mitchell.
Who would you like to work with someday and why?
My son. Because even though he comes from me, he has a completely different experience of the world and I would love to see how that translates into a work, and engages with my experience.
A new project coming up or an idea you want to work on?
I’m constantly working on something – ‘the project’ never stops!
Finish the sentence „,More important than my career is……
My son and husband.
2024: Where are we going?
Completing my second year of a Fine Art degree and then maybe having a well deserved (short) break!
Do you think about time as an artist?
Time seems to become more expansive the older I get. There is the linear structure of time that rules our daily life – and it seems to go way too fast! – but then I see time as being multidimensional and that blows my mind. The possibilities are endless.
When the going gets tough…
Keep f*cking going. Just keep working, keep creating.
Put on your future vision glasses: What direction is our generation
moving in, what will our world look like in 50 years?
Well, I hate to say it, but I think we’ll be lucky if the world exists in 50 years time. I hope with all my heart that it does, and I hope my generation, and the next and the next and so on, choose a path of ‘we’ not ‘l’. For far too long certain people in positions of power have chosen to fuel societal division and disaster in the name of wealth and more power for a few. I hope this is changing. That the world in 50 years is more balanced, is here, is healthy, and WE are flourishing. We have the capacity to do this. We only have to try.
What would you do if you could change the World?
Instil within every human a deep sense of interconnectedness with each other, the earth, and all things.
What does freedom mean when it comes to art?
Pure expression of the human spirit through the act of creating. Engaging with art can have the same effect as creating, too. Art creates space for contemplation. It challenges and it soothes. It teaches; it is expansive. These are all qualities of freedom to me.
If the universe is everything and it’s expanding, what is it expanding
into?
Itself.
Tell us about your future plans…
For the immediate future, I’m focused on completing my Bachelor of Fine Art study. Longer term, I would like to do honours and maybe a masters. Mixed in with more exhibitions, travel, good food, and time in nature.
Your city’s favorite spots?
A little out of the city, but my favourite restaurant is Brae. You can also stay the night in their very cool guest suites.
A book that everyone should read…
The Story of Art Without Men, by Katie Hessel
Last but not least: what is your favorite Song?
Spiegel im spiegel by Arvo Pärt is one of the most beautiful pieces of
music I’ve ever heard.
One last statement please: „,Wood or stone, gold or art?”
Art followed by wood.
Your#…?
#tonivallanceart
