About

Hello, I am Valérie, a mycologist and an artist.

Originally from Ukraine, I have now spent half my life in France, where I studied animation and illustration before turning to research. I later earned a degree in Mycology at Lille University, with a current focus on ethnomycology, food history, and the science of fermentation.

The very first lesson I learned in Mycology is that fungi are not what we think they are. For centuries, our societies relied on visual observation, drawing incomplete conclusions, embracing misapprehensions. Fortunately, we’re in for a surprise. And then some!

Through the lens of sculpture, I take that lesson quite literally. The idea of weaving illusions that deceive the impressions of what is real fascinates me no less than fungi, wizards of great magic.

My work relies exclusively on the recycling of previously used paper, brewing glutinous rice glue inspired by Japanese sokui and concocting various paper clays. Being a self-taught artist, the only process I know is inherently non-linear – at times, an intense research and experimentation, at others, an intuitive improvisational flow.