Harley Valentine
| Harley Valentine | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Darryl Wilson November 4, 1983 Grimsby, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Known for | sculpture, photography |
Harley Valentine (born in 1983, Ontario) is a contemporary Canadian artist based in Toronto. He is best known for his metal-plate biomorphic sculptures that build on the formalism of mid-century American sculptors, such as Alexander Calder, and John McCraken. His sculptures have been internationally recognized. and commissioned by the federal government of Canada. He is currently completing a major sculpture commission The Dream Ballet, for the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts Plaza, in front of Daniel Libeskind’s L Tower residence building in Toronto, Ontario.
Important sculpture works include:
In 2014, alongside architect David Binder, Valentine unveiled "The 30 Carabob Quartet", which was the first outdoor sculpture park in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario. The four sculptures of the series came from Valentine's first large scale sculpture series The Barbarians. That series was first exhibited at The Campbell House museum in 2013.
Aside from sculpture, he sparked his early career with photographic collages of iconic urban topographies, such as Parisian landmarks and American Architecture.
Valentine often invites the role of performance, film and photography in the creation and presentation of his works, as seen in his 2014 short video project, "The Dance of The Dove", featuring a stop motion collage of a Canadian ballerina dancing around Valentine “Dove” sculpture.
Valentine employs 3D modelling and printing in the creation of his monumental works. He uses the Makerbot z18 to make these 3D printed maquettes, which Valenitne has said he considers as artworks themselves, staging the prototype prints next to full scale works in exhibition. This style of working from model to monument is profiled in the video From Model to Monument.
His sculptures and photo-sculptural works focus on the theme of collapse and the rebirth of civilizations, while questioning the constructs of a glorious, unattainable past.
In a national newspaper interview profiling Valentine when he was named among Canada’s “Worthy 30”, the artist said he takes his inspiration every morning from a Picasso lithograph, his most prized possession. “It’s my golden chalice. I drink from its creativity every morning.” He has said that two seminal ancient sculptures, "The Diskobolus of Myron and Lacoön and His Son, serve as his ongoing “spiritual navigators." Canadian painter, and co-Toronto citizen, Charles Pachter also inspired and influenced Valentine's work.
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