Valentin Rilliet
(Swiss-Chinese, b. 1996. Lives and works in Zurich)
Valentin Rilliet reinvents
moments of time through his historical paintings, fabricating stories of
struggle, love, culture and traditional myths. His process challenges
his Western education with his Eastern roots.
Finding
inspiration in personal memories and traditional Chinese picture books,
portraying everyday life with a touch (or more) of propaganda, his
sketches explore the possibilities of fictional depiction before they
are embodied in his vibrant and bold canvases. Look closely and discover
the uncanny details in each of his works, a manifest of Rilliet’s
meticulous artistic practice.
Rilliet holds a MFA Fine Arts from the ZHdK, Zurich (Switzerland)(2023) and a BFA Fine Arts from Slade School of Fine Art/UCL, London (United Kingdom)(2020).
Rilliet’s previous solo and group exhibitions inlcude (selection): A Fear of Mist, Modern Animals Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland (2023); ZHdK 2023 MFA Fine Arts diploma Show, Zurich, Switzerland (
2023); Kunst im Nomad, Nomad Hotel, Basel, Switzerland (2023); In the other Room, Sonnenstube Offspace, Lugano, Switzerland (2022).