Solo exhibition for Old Truronian in London

Former Sixth Form student Valeria Duca’s (CO14) figurative paintings have recently been recognised with a solo exhibition at Panter & Hall gallery in London.

At 17-years-old Valeria moved to the UK from Moldova where she attended Truro School Sixth Form before studying Art History at the University of St Andrews.

The Panter & Hall website describes her artist profile:

“Valeria is viewed as a child prodigy in her native country. Recognition came early with her participation at the Venice Biennale in 2011, marking Moldova’s debut on the international art stage.

“Valeria is a rising star in the international figurative painting scene. Her works define the human condition through edgy, technically superb and often humorous self-portraits. This collection was mostly painted in lockdown, her paintings are a deeply relatable account of one young woman’s frustrations during our global house arrest. A narrative depicting, if not a descent into madness, then at least a blurring of the edges of normality, at times flirting with the surreal.

“Her works have been purchased for the permanent collections of a number of Eastern European museums: the Museum of History and Archaeology in Moldova, the Museum of Visual Art in Galati, Romania, the Museum of Western and Eastern Art in Odessa, Ukraine, the Museum of the Village, Bucharest, Romania, the Folk Art Museum in Constanta, Romania and the Palace of Parliament, Bucharest, Romania.”

After living and painting professionally in Oslo, Norway, she has recently moved to Washington DC.