ABOUT ME
Bio
Vivian Cavalieri is a visual artist based on Chincoteague Island on Virginia’s remote Eastern Shore. Her conceptual mixed media scenes prompt private conversations with viewers on a range of issues including immigration and social justice. Her work has appeared in numerous exhibitions in the US and abroad, including London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Athens. Six assemblages were included in WOVEN 2023, an exhibit curated by Ciara Hambly of the Hambly & Hambly Gallery in Northern Ireland. After six weeks at The Sasse Museum in Los Angeles, the exhibit traveled to France. A documentary on the French portion of the exhibition will be released by French filmmaker Lara Laigneau. Vivian was short-listed for the 2024 John Richardson French Residency Award. Her art is featured in the December 2023 issue of Suboart and in the February 2024 issue of Art Seen. In March 2024, a photograph of one of her assemblages will be displayed in the Hyde Park station of London’s underground while other assemblages will be exhibited in Barcelona and Northern Ireland. Vivian is a graduate of Harvard University (BA, Fine Arts) and the New York University School of Law.
Artist Statement
I am a conceptual artist whose highly structured miniature scenes of beauty unexpectedly invite conversations on topics such as climate change, immigration, victims’ rights, human interaction with other species, and social justice. My three-dimensional mixed media assemblages reflect my status as a "third culture child" absorbing and mingling the distinct cultures of Manhattan and Venice. While my international upbringing predisposes me to select universal topics, my Venetian heritage heavily influences my palette and my sense of design.
I make frequent use of segments of necklaces that I design, inserting these personal creations into theatrical scenes constructed with miniatures and other impersonal manufactured items that, when assembled, make a personal statement. Just as each scene contains an eclectic mix of personal and impersonal materials, its construction requires techniques ranging from sewing to woodworking to photo manipulation and more.
My viewers embark on a private journey. I limit the scale of my works and set museum glass in a deep custom frame that reaches out to embrace the viewer. The clarity of museum glass creates the illusion that the viewer is present at the scene, encouraging conversation, while the shape of the frame keeps the conversation private.