Vacated Shadow

Valeska Hykel is a painter and printmaker based in Bristol. Her work is an ongoing dialogue between these two practices. Painting directly onto the screen’s mesh she creates monotypes that toy with the boundaries of painting within print. In these works, she embraces the hand of the artist — through expressive brushwork, visible pencil from drawing on the screen and allowing the scars of the process (for example, the textual components of canvas or screen-bed) to add to their narrative. Going beyond the first pull of the monotype, she often finds the finished work in the ghost print. The resulting works, with their muted colour palettes, degradation of image and echoes of the proceeding pull, are haunted versions of the originals, ingrained with their textures and history.

Valeska was awarded the Rebecca Smith Prize for Printmaking. In 2022 she was selected as a ‘Top Pick’ from the Curated Hang by the directors of Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair.

Valeska was Print Club London’s artist in residence in April 2023.