Creating art is not a linear journey from inspiration to execution. Often, even when creativity abounds, the end result just doesn’t come out right. But the practice of Sydney-based artist Valentina Schulte doesn’t let her hard work go to waste, even when her perfectionistic eye is not satisfied with the outcome.
The realities with working with photography means that sometimes the end result is not quite what the artist envisions. For Schulte, this is not the end of the aesthetic journey, but merely the beginning of a new body of work.
“Sustainability in my art practice means making better choices about materials”, says the artist “and getting the most out of those materials and repurposing old artworks”.
Using prints of photographs that she decides are perhaps not suitably compositionally satisfying but capture colours, forms or lighting that deserve to be appreciated, the artist creates an entirely new work from the old. “By creating works that expand past the dimensional limits of the photographic image”, says Schulte, “I aim to provide an alternative direction in which to engage with the photographic format, creating a heightened understanding of the materiality of an image and forming multiple viewpoints for both maker and observer.”
The artist takes archived works, splits them apart, and puts them together again to provide new and surprising vistas. Schulte’s process is emblematic of a movement towards reuse and an awareness of the art world’s impact on waste production, and acts as an alternative avenue for artists to be considerate of their own output without compromising their aesthetic approach.