Valeria Maldonado (1992), a Peruvian-born artist, and architect, has made New York City her creative hub. Holding a Bachelor's degree in architecture, she is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in Textiles at Parsons School of Design to further her exploration of the art form.

In her artistic journey, Valeria pushes the boundaries of textiles and architecture, seeking innovative ways to bring them together and liberate them from conventional norms and limitations. At the heart of her work lies a deep exploration of feminist architectural principles. Through her art, she envisions a hypothetical feminist city that embodies inclusivity, matriarchy, and empowerment. Her vision is to propose “Textile models” that formally embody the home of a matriarchal society whose core values are shaped around concepts of nurturing, creating, reconciling, accepting, and protecting.

Valeria's artistic craft centers around weaving, and she displays a keen emphasis on various techniques like plain weaving, waffle weaving, and basketry. Her pieces also incorporate other textile techniques, such as natural dyeing with food waste and embroidery. To bring her sculptures to life, she skillfully intertwines a diverse array of materials. These materials range from natural elements like rattan, hemp yarn, mycelium, and Peruvian alpaca yarn to repurposed man-made substances like cassette fibers and paper yarn. This thoughtful amalgamation allows her to create sculptures that harmoniously align with principles of nature, ecology, biomaterials, and e-waste. Through her creative process of reimagining and repurposing these materials, Valeria gives birth to three-dimensional objects, or "Textile models," that challenge conventional disciplines and inspire an appreciation for innovative crafting approaches.

v.maldonadom14@gmail.com