About Vanessa
Biography
Vanessa Villarreal is a mixed-media assemblage artist based in Washington, DC, practicing primarily with denim scraps, second-hand materials, and acrylic paint.
Originally from Central Florida, her affinity for creating has been sustained throughout her life, exploring various mediums, like sewing and painting, which is reflected in her current work. After years of pursuing a career in healthcare, Vanessa ended her master’s studies prematurely to pursue art full-time. Since then, she has exhibited her work in several galleries and exhibitions, has been granted multiple opportunities to nurture her creativity through residencies, and has collaborated with institutions like the Smithsonian American Art Museum and The Phillips Collection, all while operating a sustainable wearable art business, Lion’s Den Creative LLC. Her work has been featured in multiple publications, notably The Washington Post and Washington City Paper.
Through Vanessa’s current exploration of denim as a medium for Black portraiture, she is expanding the use of a material that has become an emblem of American fashion by way of enslaved African people. Using personal interactions with community members in DC, her own family archives, and her Panamanian and African American heritage as sources of inspiration, Vanessa reimagines and reconstructs the narratives concerning Black Americans with dignity and joy. While reclaiming denim as a creative tool, she’s committed to pushing her boundaries in the context of materiality beyond denim. By engaging with art mediums and materials of cultural significance to African Americans and/or Panamanians, like quilt-making, she creates multidimensional pieces reflective of her identity, her personal experiences, and the shared experiences of many Black Americans.
Statement from Vanessa
Since the beginning of my art career, materiality has been the cornerstone of my practice. After deciding to pursue art seriously in 2022, I spent the first couple of years expanding my use of materials beyond their intended use. While these materials have varied from hair clips to glass mirror pieces, the material I have recently grown particularly interested in further exploring has been fundamental to my creative journey — denim.
Through my current exploration of denim as a medium for Black portraiture, I expand the use of a material with historical significance in the United States; while this country isn’t its place of origin, enslaved African people are to credit for the production and popularity of what is arguably an emblem of American fashion today. In response, I am reclaiming denim as a Black person and artist, meticulously cutting, layering, and adhering denim pieces together as a means of portraiture, while intentionally incorporating other materials and artistic mediums of cultural significance in my work. By doing so, I am reconstructing the narratives of Black people both literally and figuratively, simultaneously exploring the layers of my identity and existence as a Black American and Panamanian American woman.
As I expand on this assemblage technique, creating art that allows Black people to draw connections from their experiences remains constant. While doing so, I aim to broaden my understanding of denim, other materials, and practices that hold cultural and historical significance, such as quilt-making, to create work that is informed by the past and the present. In this way, I am engaging in an art-making process that serves as an investigation of history and today, creating art that highlights the timeless innovation and multidimensionality of Black people.
