Valerie Gilbert describes her artwork as “contemporary realist,” created in a realistic style using traditional techniques.
“The way I perceive things and issues is rooted in my French-Canadian background,” Gilbert says.
“When I travel around the world, especially in the U.S., where I’ve been living for three years, for everything I encounter I react according to those cultural roots.”
In Gilbert’s reinterpretation of the myth, she is leaving the shores of Quebec for the United States, the stars of its flag twinkling in the distance.
The image reflects her real-life trip south to the prestigious New York Academy of Art, founded in 1982 in New York City by supporters of the arts, including Andy Warhol.
The drawing also offers a commentary on Gilbert’s race. Unlike the grandfather whispering stories to her, the artist was adopted into a French-Canadian family from Haiti when she was three. She says her family never made her feel like an “other,” yet she became aware of it when she left her home for the United States.
“When it comes to family, race as an issue was nonexistent,” Gilbert says. “It was only an issue when I stepped out of my family into society — in Quebec and Canada, of course — but even more so when I went to the U.S, where race is such a big issue.”
Blending old and new
Gilbert is currently in her third year at the academy. In 2016 she received a Chubb Postgraduate Fellowship, allowing her to remain beyond the two years of her degree as a teaching assistant with complimentary studio space.
Valerie Gilbert’s La Chasse-galerie, an example of the artwork inspired by her cultural heritage.