Interview with Valerie Deleon
- Cista Arts team
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
An interview with Valerie Deleon: collage-based visual storyteller
What initially sparked your interest in pursuing art, and how has your journey evolved since then?
I came to art almost by accident. I started cutting images just to make sense of things I couldn’t express in words. Over time, I realised that collage allows me to live between seriousness and irony, beauty and critique — the space I naturally exist in. My visual language mixes Soviet aesthetics, pop absurdity, and a kind of romantic melancholy. The core themes I explore are love, protest, loneliness, and the search for truth — how to stay tender in a world that constantly tries to make you numb.
The core themes I explore are love, protest, loneliness, and the search for truth — how to stay tender in a world that constantly tries to make you numb.
Can you tell us about a specific piece of your artwork that holds particular significance to you, and what inspired its creation?
The work “Главное — любовь” (“The Main Thing — Love”) is one of the most personal.
It looks tender at first glance, but inside it hides a kind of quiet tragedy.
There’s a figure embracing itself, surrounded by torn text — a mix of personal notes and archival newspaper phrases. It’s a paper collage, but I see it as a miniature stage where a human meets their own reflection. I left a dash after the word “Главное” intentionally blank — because love always exists in that empty space, between word and silence, between self and other.
It’s about vulnerability as resistance.
How do you navigate the balance between staying true to your artistic vision and experimenting with new techniques or styles?
I follow an intuitive approach in my work. My process is about listening to my inner voice and carefully engaging with the materials I gather. Experiments for me are a natural part of growth, arising during my search for new forms and expressions. Since my style is rooted in a blend of aesthetics — Soviet, pop absurdity, romantic melancholy — new techniques help me expand these boundaries without losing my authenticity. For me, the key is to remain faithful to my inner state and continue exploring themes of love, protest, and loneliness, regardless of the methods.
What role do you believe art plays in society, and how do you envision your work contributing to the artistic dialogue?
I believe that art is a powerful language capable of creating space for dialogue and reflection. In my collages, I aim to connect visual symbols that evoke nostalgia and critique, encouraging viewers to ponder personal and societal values — about love, freedom, resistance, and the search for truth. My work acts as a mini-embassy of feelings and ideas, inviting viewers to look beyond the everyday and consider important questions. I hope my art promotes expanding perceptions and inspires personal and social reflection.
My work acts as a mini-embassy of feelings and ideas, inviting viewers to look beyond the everyday and consider important questions. I hope my art promotes expanding perceptions and inspires personal and social reflection.
Are there any upcoming projects or themes that you're excited to explore in your future artworks, and if so, what draws you to these ideas?
I work instinctively. My studio is full of scattered fragments — newspapers, magazines, pieces of sky, faces, planets, letters. I collect materials intuitively, sometimes for weeks, until one day they suddenly fit together like a sentence that finally makes sense. Most of my process is about listening — to what the image wants to say.
Right now, I’m developing a project that mixes collage with video — exploring how moving images can preserve the tactile fragility of paper. It’s called “Echoes of Tender Protest” — a series about how love and resistance can exist in the same breath.
How do you hope your art will impact viewers, and what message or emotion do you aspire to convey through your creative expressions?
I want my works to evoke feelings of tenderness, vulnerability, and hope in viewers. Through reflection on my collages, I aim to awaken empathy and a gentle attitude towards oneself and the world around us. My artworks contain the idea that even in a world full of chaos and alienation, there is room for love, honesty, and resistance — quiet but powerful. I hope my art gives people the feeling that, no matter how harsh or cold reality may be, inside each of us there is space for tenderness and sincere emotions, and that vulnerability is also a strength.
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