Steven Valera (b. 1994, he/him) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His work focuses on the ways in which materials and formal considerations can stand in for personal and social narratives. Using traditional glass and printmaking practices such as casting, neon, and etching as a vehicle for contemporary art, his work attempts to bridge art, science, and humanity. Valera is a 2022 graduate from Tyler School of Art and Architecture at Temple University as a double BFA major in glass and printmaking. Valera was recently a participant in the Fob Holder Residency at Second State Press and currently works as their Exhibitions Coordinator.
My current body of work, Revelations, explores the scientific, occult, and social aspects of nihilism. Based on ideas of circular time, Tarot divination, and post-structuralism, I construct a rich tapestries of objects and shifting perspectives. Cast glass, printed etchings, neon, and mirrored glass visualize the accretion disc of a black hole, a metaphor for the ephemerality of existence that threatens modern life, but must be embraced to be overcome. I utilize the material and formal connections in my object portfolio to establish spaces that empower viewers to forge fresh links between previously unexplored objects and concepts. As they navigate through a realm where symbols reappear, change, and evolve, viewers are prompted to embark on introspection and potential self-transformation.