Image: Val Christell - vjchristell.net
Inner Sandstorm - Valerie Christell
"Inner Sandstorm" by Val Christell
For the past 10 years, Val Christell has been director-curator of Alfons Gallery, on the second floor of the St. Joseph Center, 1501 S. Layton Blvd. Alfons Gallery’s mission is to explore cultures and advocate for social justice, peace and the environment through the arts. We spoke with Christell on running an art gallery and her own creative journey.
Please tell us about managing the gallery.
It’s intellectually rewarding to discover alternative viewpoints when talking with artists about their intent, process, and inspiration, while developing a display of artwork that’s different from my own. Layout and installation of the artwork are important aspects of my gallerist work. Though there’s a sense of placement when initially choosing artists’ works, there’s also serendipity in how specific pieces finally come together. I live for “ah hah” moments such as this as both gallerist and artist.
What kind of art do you normally exhibit at Alfons Gallery. Is there usually a theme or subject matter you prefer?
Alfons Gallery is located in the international headquarters of School Sisters of St. Francis. When hired, I shifted the gallery’s mission to reflect this organization’s global outreach: Exploring cultures and advocating for social justice, peace, and the environment through the arts.
Visually dissimilar exhibits are held together by this conceptual thread running through them. Exhibits present discreet viewpoints on aspects of artists’ engagement in the world related to this mission, often accompanied by reflections on intangible concepts like time, memory, and change. The gallery primarily presents solo exhibits by professional Wisconsin artists whose art forms range from various 2-D media to installation and performance art.
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What kinds of art do you gravitate toward?
The type of art that draws my attention is the same for myself as an artist or gallerist: strong statements found in unexpected forms. Think about Tony Oursler’s MMPI (Self-Portrait in Yellow) with my favorite random statement, “Sometimes I can’t feel the top of my head,” to start.
Or consider Marina Abramovic’s The Artist is Present social interaction experience, or Urs Fischer’s You, a gallery space transformed by digging a 30’ x 38’ x 8’ pit where the floor was, giving new meaning to an immersive gallery experience.
You sometimes seek art that is thought-provoking and disturbing. Give an example of this kind of art.
Thought-provoking art is the foundation of the works curated in Alfons Gallery as well as those created in my previous gallery, Merge.
At Merge, experiential, collaborative installations were also intentionally disturbing in their social statements. For example, Tori Tasch and I collaborated on shows that included “Humankind’s Footprints” and “War: Humanity in the Crosshairs.” I similarly collaborated with musician Mark Mantel at Translator Labs with my war statement photomontages and his music, “Machine Gun Series.” We all face our own baggage and levels of discomfort when viewing art. Ultimately, I agree with Cesar A. Cruz: “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable."
Tell us about your own art.
Image: Val Christell - vjchristell.net
The Hermit by Valerie Christell
"The Hermit" by Val Christell
I create social statement photomontages focusing on the symbiotic, yet uneasy, relationship between humankind and nature. Through black-and-white photography, I capture human figures and the environment. They’re then deconstructed and merged into a final image representing existentialist reflections on fragments of life. The figures’ gestures exhibit a mental angst as they display the destruction of our physical selves within a dying environment caused by our own hands.
The imagery is inspired by my interest in the visual relationship between the inner structure of the mind’s neural nets and the body’s circulatory system that are dynamically reflected in nature’s structures and textures. “We are a part of, not apart from, the rest of nature,” as Anil Seth stated.
How has being a gallery director affected your own creative journey?
Creative problem solving is part and parcel of gallery work. The more difficult the problems that arise, the more opportunity there is to gather “ah hah” moments in finding effective solutions. Whether it’s installing projectors in ceilings, hanging massive artwork that defies hanging systems, or shifting to online exhibitions when a space closes due to a pandemic—the search for solutions expands the mind.
What do you tell artists who are seeking gallery representation?
Artists interested in approaching any gallery about representation need to research that venue for the types of artwork they focus on showing. Face it, it’s a business. So “you do you,” then find a gallery that wants to display what you do. The great thing about this search in the 21st century is that all sorts of galleries show a wide range of art existing in many places. And you can find them online.
