Vala in Trickmist's "Flagbearer" directed by Bob Gallagher.
Vala in Trickmist's "Flagbearer" directed by Bob Gallagher.
Vala Kjarval is a photographer and cinematographer with a background in film theory and cinema studies. Over the years, they have worked across various formats, including 35mm, medium format, and 16mm, for clients in fashion, filmmakers, and news publications. Notably, their 16mm cinematography contributed to New York Fashion Week and German VOGUE.
Her personal series "Ad vera til" was featured in multiple art outlets and international exhibitions. During the historic 2020 Covid pandemic, their photography covering NYC was part of the International Center of Photography’s groundbreaking show, #ICPconcerned, and the Lenscratch Self-Quarantining Exhibition. Taking a break from realism and documenting the grief of 2020, their work has taken a turn toward the surreal.
They have since exhibited mixed media surrealistic photographs in The Darkroom in Dublin, Ireland in July 2022. Afterward, Vala transitioned from still photography to video art, focusing on creating surreal, meditative visuals that capture movements from nature like waterfalls, lava, glaciers, and clouds. Her film, Esjan Rising, was featured at the Vetrarhátíð (Winter Lights Film Festival) in February 2023 in Reykjavik, Iceland. Vala’s work provides a calming, immersive experience for viewers, often using time-lapse techniques and exploring light and shadow. She provided some of these visuals for background visuals for local Djs at Bravo, in reykjavik. Currently, they are experimenting with combining cutting edge tech with traditional celluloid techniques. Working with new Ai software, animating celluloid images they’ve captured, and incorporating archival footage into their video art. Vala shares these works on their new Instagram account, valavignettes, in hopes of breaking up the monotony of social media consumption and providing a meditative release: view here.
EXHIBITIONS
The Darkroom, An Exhibition in the Making. Dublin, Ireland. July 13-July 27th 2022.
Lenscratch The 2020 Lenscratch Self-Quarantining Exhibition, April 2020
Photoville Humble Cats: New Cats in Art Photography curated by Jon Feinstein of Humble Arts Foundation, Brooklyn, USA. Fall 2018
Atelier de Koekkoek The Ones We Love Exhibition, Vienna, Austria. Fall 2014
Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center Fertile Imagination: Art & Agriculture, Auburn, NY, USA. Fall 2013
New York State Museum Best of SUNY Student Art Exhibition, Albany NY, USA. Spring 2011
ARTICLES AND AWARDS
RTE CULTURE June 2022
IMRO June 2022
THE DARKROOM Artist Profile June 2022
Der Grief Magazine Guest Room curated by Christoph Tannert May 2015
Aint Bad Mag Artist Feature January 2015
Photo Review Competition Special Issue juried by Jennifer Blessing, Senior Curator of Guggenheim: Photography Department September 2014
The Ones We Love August 2014
Whattaroll Magazine June 2014
SUNY Cinema and Screen Studies Georgia Barnes Scholarship for Excellence May 2013.
SUNY Oswego Scholarly and Creative Activities Committee Grant for the short film, Chora. (2011)
SUNY Cinema and Screen Studies Best Non-Narrative Film for AD VERA TIL (2013)
SUNY Cinema and Screen Studies Best Cinematography for AD VERA TIL (2013)
Great Lake Review, Fall 2011, Spring 2012 and Fall 2012
Upstate Life Magazine, June-August 2011
Watershed Post, August 2011
Vogue Italia’s PhotoVogue, September 2011
EDUCATION
Summa Cum Laude BA Film & Photography, SUNY Oswego, 2013
University of Westminster, Photographic Arts, London 2012
International Center of Photography, New York, NY 2011