VALENTINA GELAIN

Born in Feltre, Italy, 1992. Currently based in Ostrobothnia, Finland.

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EDUCATION AND TRAINING

2014-2016, Master degree in Visual Arts from Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Milan (Italy), score of 110/110; 2011-2014, Bachelor degree in Visual Arts from Brera Academy of Fine Arts, Milan (Italy), 108/110; 2006-2011, Diploma of Graphic Design from T. Catullo High School Institute, Belluno (Italy), score of 100/100.

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ARTIST RESIDENCIES

Artist residency curated by Artist Residency Swap & Finnish Institute in UK and Ireland, Dublin (Ireland, March 2022); Moskosel Creative Lab-Northern Sustainable Futures, Moskosel (Sweden, October-November 2024).

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GRANTS (selection)

Arts Promotion Center-Taike, working grant (six months), 2025; Svenska Kulturfonden, travel grant, 2024; Bröderna Gröndahls Stiftelse, project grant, art film premiere/video art event, 2024; Eugène, Elisabeth och Birgit Nygréns stiftelse, project grant, premiere/video art event, 2023-24; Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet, project grant, The Peaks, 2023; Arts Promotion Center-Taike, working grant (four months), 2023; Svenska Kulturfonden, travel grant, 2022; Arts Promotion Center-Taike, working grant (two months), 2022; Finnish Institute in UK and Ireland, salary, short artist residency, 2022; Svenska Kulturfonden, working grant, project The Peaks, 2022; Svenska Österbottens kulturfond (Nils Lundqvists fond), working grant, project The Peaks, 2022; Svenska Österbottens kulturfond (Nils Lundqvists fond), project grant, The Grey Hour, 2020-21; Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet, project grant, The Grey Hour, 2020-21.

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Working group:

Svenska Kulturfonden-Frans Henriksson fund, development project, (public) art events in rural and natural areas, 2025; Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet, project grant, 'Translucid Skins', 2023-2024; Bröderna Gröndahls Stiftelse, project grant, exhibition, 2023; Närpes City Cultural Grant, project grant, mural opening event, 2023; Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet, project grant, public art, 2023; Svenska Kulturfonden, project grant, exhibitions promotion, 2022; Bröderna Gröndahls Stiftelse, project grant, installation - public art, 2022; Svenska Kulturfonden - Frans Henriksson fond, developement project, public art, 2022; Svensk-Österbottniska Samfundet, project grant, exhibitions promotion, 2021-2022; Vaasa City Cultural Grant, project grant, installation - public art, 2021; Svenska Kulturfonden, project grant, installation - public art, 2021; Svenska Kulturfonden, project grant, art space - exhibitions, 2020; Vaasa City Cultural Grant, project grant, art space maintenance, 2020.

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HONOURS AND AWARDS

Finalist, We Art Open 2025, No Title Gallery (Venice, Italy); Top ten Finalist (2nd position), Exibart Prize 2023-24 (Rome, Italy); Finalist, Premio Combat Prize 2022 (Livorno, Italy); Finalist, Exibart Prize 2021-22 (Rome, Italy); Finalist (special mention), We Art Open 2022, No Title Gallery (Venice, Italy); Selected, 'RINart', Tirana International Contemporary Festival 2022 (Tirana, Albania); Semifinalist, Premio Arte Cairo Editore 2021 (Milan, Italy); Finalist, Exibart Prize 2020-21 (Rome, Italy); Nominated, Premio Lynx 2019 (Trieste, Italy); Selected, 'Who I am', VIZart International Biennale 2019 (Tirana, Albania); Winners, CCSA (under 35) open call, Crema Municipality with the collective La Faretra, (Crema, Italy, 2019).

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EXHIBITIONS

Solo Exhibitions:

'Panismo Androgino', G.A.P. - Globe Art Point (Helsinki, Finland, October-November 2021); 'THROWughOUT' (also online exhibition), Black Box Genesis art space (Vaasa, Finland, March-April 2020); 'Fall', Black Box Genesis art space (Vaasa, Finland, November-Dicember 2018); 'Panismo', Black Box Genesis art space (Vaasa, Finland, 2018); 'Nati Per Leggere-Libri D’artista', curator Diego Pasqualin, City Library Farinone Centa exhibition spaces (Varallo Sesia, Italy, March 2016).

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Duo exhibitions:

‘The Shell Cracked’, duo exhibition, Rådhusgalleriet (Nykarleby, Finland, January-February 2025); 'The Shell Cracked', Gallery 3H+K​ (Pori, Finland, January 2025); 'Dripping Cavities', coordinator Silvia Rinne, Vaasa City Art Gallery-Vaasa City Museums (Finland, November 2023-January 2024);  'Dripping Cavities’, curator Anni Fahler, Galleria Albert IX (Helsinki, Finland, January 2023); 'Dripping Cavities', Makers' Gallery (Vaasa, Finland, December 2021).

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Group Exhibitions (selection):

We Art Open 25, finalists' group exhibition, curator Silvia Previti, Spuma-space for the Arts (Venice, Italy, January-Fabruary 2025);  'Collision Festival, Collision Art Collective, Gammal Brandkårshuset (Jakobstad, Finland, May 2023); ‘Booked 2022’, curators John Gayer, Miikka Laihinen & Rita Leppiniemi, MUU Helsinki Contemporary Art Centre, Cable Factory (Helsinki, Finland, November-December 2022 | 'Simple is beautiful' by Suvi Nurmi); Premio Combat Prize 2022, curator Paolo Batoni, Museo Giovanni Fattori (Livorno, Italy, September-October 2022); 'New Beginnings' Festival, Malakta art Factory (Malax, Finland, September 2022); 'Offside #1', Offside, curator Marcus Lerviks, pop-up space in Varastokatu 6, 65100 Vaasa (Finland, May-June 2022); 'RINart', Tirana International Contemporary Festival, VIZart, National Historical Museum & COD (Tirana, Albania, May 2022); Pasila Urban Art Center (Helsinki, Finland, March-April 2022); 'We Art Open', No Title Gallery, CREA - Cantieri del Contemporaneo (Venice, Italy, January 2022); 'The Body Lenguage', Itsliquid Group, The ROOM Contemporary Art Space & Palazzo Albrizzi Capello (Venice, Italy, March 2021); 'Salong 20x20x20', Galleri Socker, pop-up space (Umeå, Sweden, March 2020); 'Ibis Open Walls', Ibis Photo Gallery (Vaasa, Finland, November 2019 - February 2020); 'Terminal', curator Stefano Monti, Sale Agello (Crema, Italy, December 2019); Premio LYNX 2019, Lokarjeva art gallery, (Ajdovščina, Slovenia, November-December 2019); 'Who I Am', VIZart International Biennal 2019 of Self-portrait, National Historical Museum (Tirana, Albania, September 2019); 'Le Forme Dell'Uomo', curator Giuliana Nuvoli, La Casa delle Artiste (Milan, Italy, November 2018); 'Le Bestie di Brera', La Faretra collective, Sala Birolli (Verona, Italy, September 2018); 'Under 30', curator Diego Pasqualin, Studiodieci Citygallery Vercelli (Vercelli, Italy, June 2016).

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EVENTS

'Where do you come from, where do you belong?', video screening event, art brokerage event, Cable Factory (Helsinki, Finland, 12 March 2025); Off the Wall' av exhibition, curators Calvin Guillot & Monika Hauck, Aavistus Festival special program, Helsinki City Museum Courtyard (Helsinki, Finland, 5 October 2024); 'Deep-Scape', site-specific video/visual art event, Bock's Corner Village (Vaasa, Finland, 24th February 2024); 'The Peaks', art film premiere, Ostrobothnian Museum (Vaasa, Finland, 26 January 2023); Performative acts during the day, 'Dripping Cavities' duo exhibition, Vaasa City Art Gallery-Vaasa City Museums (12th December 2023); Konstrundan 2022, Malakta Art Factory (Malax, Finland, September 2022); 'The Grey Hour' Premiere, Drama Hall (Vaasa, Finland, December 2021); Konstrundan 2021, online exhibition 'Virtual Walls? Virtual Murals¿' by Black Box Genesis / Open studio, Malakta art Factory (Malax, Finland, September 2021); Konstrundan 2020, open studio, Black Box Genesis (Vaasa, Finland, September 2020); Vaasa-Night of Arts, 'Glitch-sorry, there is interference' urban installation (Vaasa, Finland, 8th August 2019); Vaasa-Night of Arts, 'Living Painting' performance (Vaasa, Finland, 9th August 2018); Burning Art Festival, 'Deeps Smoke' performace, Malakta Art Factory (29th September 2018).

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Others:

‘Studio Visit’ on ‘Grandi Stazioni Retail’ project by Exibart, video presentation on monitors in the main Italian stations (Italy, 3rd-9th June 2024).

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Next Exhibition/Event:

'The Shell Cracked', duo exhibition, Varikko Galleria (Seinäjoki, Finland, October-November 2025); 'The Shell Cracked', duo exhibition, Taidekeskus Itä-Gallery Riutta (Lappeenranta, Finland, November-December 2025); Tempus-Jakobstad Museum (Jakobstad, Finland, date to be confirmed).

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COLLABORATIONS / PROJECTS (selection)

‘Awake’ mural painting for D.P.A.R.A. pilot (Övermark, Finland, April-June 2023); 'Unfolding thoughts - Requiem of a phoenix', public art installation for 'Book - the Lafkan project' (Vaasa City Library, Finland, 2021-22); 'Click', mural painting for WIC-Wasa Innovation Center (Vaasa, Finland, August-September 2021 / June 2022); 'Mural Rural' Festival, selected artist, Art in Malakta rf (Malax, Finland, autumn 2020, postpone to spring 2021); Vaasa Arts Night 2020, mural painting for the 30° anniversary (August 2020).

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​´The Peaks´ multidisciplinary project by Valentina Gelain, 2022-present; ´The Grey Hour´multidisciplinary project by Valentina Gelain, 2021-2023.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY (selection)

Interview by Reija Penttinen for ´Followers of the Movement´ column, Regional Dance Center of Ostrobothnia (31 January 2025); Article by Elsa Barbieri about 'The Shell Cracked' exhibition, Exibart (12 January 2025); 'Exibart Prize 2023-24', finalists' digital catalog, publisher - Exibart (19th September 2024); Interview by Elsa Barbieri about 'Dripping Cavities' exhibition, Exibart, 12 November 2023; '222 Artisti emergenti su cui investire / 2024', book, curator Cesare Biasini Selvaggi, publisher - Exibart (Rome, Italy, 12th October 2023); ‘Premio Combat Prize 2022’, finalists’ catalog, BlobART, publisher - Sillabe (Livorno, Italy, 2022); 'Exibart Prize 2021-22', finalists' digital catalog, publisher - Exibart (19th July 2022); ‘WAO 2022’, finalists’ digital catalog, publisher - No Title Gallery (24th January, 2022); Globe Art Point online exhibitions archive (19th November 2021); Offside #1, online exhibition archive (May 2022); ‘RINart’, Tirana Contemporary Art Festival, exhibition catalog, publisher - VIZart (Tirana, Albania, May 2022); Article about 'Mural Rural' Festival by Clara Amodeo, Another Scratch In The Wall (Milan, Italy, 31st August 2021); Mention in 'Arte' - Cairo Editore, for Premio Arte semifinalists, publisher-Giorgio Mondadori (Milan, Italy, August issue 2021); Interview and online article by Luca Curci, Itsliquid Group (8th April 2021); Interview and photo documentation about 'Growing' mural painting, 'Mural Rural' project, for the Vaasa Museum Archive by Silvia Rinne (Vaasa, Finland, May 2021); 'Exibart Prize 2020-21', finalists' digital catalog, publisher - Exibart (3rd March 2021); Interview and photo documentation about Vaasa Arts Night Mural Painting for the Vaasa Museum Archive by Silvia Rinne (Vaasa, Finland, September 2020); Interview, article and video documentation by Vaasa City cultural department, about the Mural for Vaasa Arts Night 2020 (Vaasa, Finland, 1st September 2020); Radio interview and article by Yle cultural section (Vaasa, Ostrobothnia, Finland, 31st July 2020); 'Who I Am', VIZart International Biennal 2019 of Self-portrait, exhibition catalog, publisher - VIZart (Tirana, Albania, September 2019); Video documentation by Crem@online and article by Cultura Crema about 'Terminal'  group exhibition (Crema, Italy, December 2019).

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PUBLICATIONS 

Illustrations in Eos Megazine (n. 6-7-8 2019, n.1-2-3-4-5-6 2020, n.2-3 2021); S. Gelain, V. Gelain, 'I Memorabili', Il Ciliegio, Como, Italy, 2013; S. Gelain & V. Gelain, 'Lady Schumi' (vol. II), Il Ciliegio, Como, 2011 / S. Gelain & V. Gelain, 'Lady Schumi' ( vol. I), Il Ciliegio (Como, Italy, 2010); Illustrations in 'L'Artiglio - L'oro del dio Hunn', Donato Altomare, Edizioni Della Vigna (Varese, Italy, 2010).

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ARTIST TALKS (selection)

Guest artist for the Kuvata​ Webinar with focus on ‘As an Artist in a Sparsely Populated Area', organised by Tampere University of Applied Sciences, the University of Lapland’s Faculty of Art and Globe Art Point,  20 January 2025; ‘The Peaks’ premiere, Ostrobothnian Museum (Vaasa, Finland, 26th January 2024); ‘Dripping Cavities’ duo exhibition, finissage, Vaasa City Art Gallery  (Vaasa, Finland, 4th January 2024); Artist Talk, three meetings with the students of Vasa Övningsskola, about the mural commissioned by Vaasa City (Vaasa, Finland, September 2020).

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WORKSHOPS (selection)

'Kroki-Figure Drawing', with a live model, Art Saturday by Art in Malakta rf (Malax, Finland, 20th April 2024); 'Figure Drawing', workshop on the analysis and drawing of the human anatomy, with a live model, in collaboration with Regnbågsallians rf and Art in Malakta rf (Malax, Finland, 16th November 2023); Online lllustration Workshop 'Your Story, Your Character!', co-host Susanne Marins, Art Saturday, Art in Malakta rf (Malakta Art Factory, Malax, Finland, 13rd March 2021); 'Muminpyssel' Workshop, after 'Det osynliga barnet' show by Wasa Teater hosted at Malakta art Factory (Malax, Finland,  28th November 2020); Online Workshop 'Play With Leaves', co-host Susanne Marins & Ann-maj Granstubb, Art Saturday by Art in Malakta rf (17th October 2020); Handmade Paper Workshop, co-host Bekim Hasaj, Art Saturday by Art in Malakta rf (Malakta Art Factory, Malax, Finland, 14th December 2019).

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ORGANIZATIONS

March 2024-Present, Artists Bank of Rakennustieto rts sr; August 2023-Present, Artists' Association of Finland - Artist Register; August 2023-Present, member of Suomen Taideyhdistys  (Finland); January 2023-Present, full member of MUU ry (Helsinki, Finland); February 2021-Present, full member of Globe Art Point ry (Helsinki, Finland); January 2021-Present, client of Kuvasto ry, Visual Arts' Copyright Society (Helsinki, Finland); October 2022-September 2023, vice board member of Art in Malakta rf (Malax, Finland); May 2019-October 2022, board member of Art in Malakta rf (Malax, Finland); June 2020-June 2021, vice board member of Elokuvakeskus Botnia ry/ Film Centrum Botnia rf (Vaasa, Finland).

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WORK EXPERIENCE (selection)

August 2021–Present, manager and art curator of Black Box Genesis Art Space (online and pop-up events); May 2018–Present, Black Box Genesis co-founder as visual artist, creative freelancer & cultural worker / Visual artists and visual art experts | Organisation of exhibition and cultural events | Planning and management of projects, including long-term ones | Collaborations​; November 2024, guest teacher at Novia University to hold Drawing class for third-year visual art students (Jakobstad, Finland); July 2024, photo documentation of the dance performance 'Dance of the Fisherman' organized by the Regional Dance Center of Ostrobothnia on Bergö island (Ostrobothnia, Finland); February 2024, guest teacher at Novia University to hold an intensive workshop on handmade paper for second/third-year visual art students, the position is shared with colleague Valentina Gelain (Jakobstad, Finland); October-November 2023: Guest teacher at Novia University to hold the course Ateljestudier 7 for second-year visual art students. The position is shared with colleague Bekim Hasaj (Jakobstad, Finland); September-October 2022, co-organizer of Mural Rural project and curator of New Beginnings Festival exhibition by Malakta rf (Malax, Finland); June 2018-July 2021, manager and art curator of Black Box Genesis Art Space (Vaasa, Finland); October 2019-April 2021, illustrator for Eos children magazine, Nykterhetsförbundet Hälsa och Trafik rf (Vaasa, Finland); April 2020-August 2021, co-organizer of Mural Rural Festival by Art in Malakta rf project (Malax, Finland); January-August 2020, communication, social media coordinator and production assistant of mAPs-migrating atists project, for Malakta Films ltd; March 2019-May 2020, production assistant for Elokuvakeskus Botnia ry/ Film Centrum Botnia rf (Vaasa, Finland); June-July 2019, production assistant for Touched - film documentary by Jukka Rajala and Marc Wagenbach (Wuppertal, Germany / Malax, Finland).