Water & Shelter.

The Artist

Valeria Maldonado.

US

Valeria Maldonado (b. 1992) is a Peruvian-born artist and architect based in New York City, with an MFA in Textiles from Parsons School of Design and a BA in Architecture. Combining her architectural knowledge with textile artistry, Maldonado focuses on creating self-supporting, three-dimensional sculptures through weaving, basketry, coiling, and natural dyes. Her work, deeply rooted in her Peruvian heritage, incorporates materials such as alpaca, junco, sisal rope, rattan, clay, ochres, and sand to explore dualities between structure and flexibility, and between natural elements and built forms. Inspired by the dynamic relationship between the ocean and coastal rocks from her hometown in Lima, as well as personal memories like her mother’s teal eyes and the earthy tones of her childhood home, Maldonado crafts sculptures that explore themes of containment, inhabiting space, and the maternal strength of nature. She reinterprets architectural principles from a feminist perspective, creating pieces that challenge the boundaries of internal space and invite contemplation on how we inhabit and transform our environments. Maldonado’s work is analytical yet nostalgic, blending traditional techniques with contemporary design. Known for her strong aesthetic sensibility, attention to color, and meticulous detail, she has received recognition as a finalist for awards like the Dorothy Waxman Textile Design Prize 2024, the Outstanding Student Award from the Surface Design Association, and the 2024 Koenigsberg Award from the Textile Study Group of New York, Inc. Her passion for sustainability and cultural narratives informs her work, making them impactful, eco-conscious pieces that challenge notions of what is flexible versus what is structured.