Valerie Durant Obscura Inversion

Valerie Durant  was  born, lives and creates  with gratitude on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.  

Her  interdisciplinary  art practise melds  photography, sculpture  and spatialized sound, centred  upon a  contemplative, daily ritual of deep connection  with nature.  Within her practice she explores the  inter-connectivity and reciprocity between humans and the natural world, working broadly on topics of social and climate equity and sustainability, exploring concepts of regeneration and continuum. Her practise involves the observation of life cycles in nature, using ice, organic  materials, recycled paper and found objects  which have minimal  impact on the ecosystem.   

She received the  award of distinction for her MA thesis (2012)  from the University of Pretoria,  South Africa on the topic of Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Forestation:The Edible Connected City, while developing GhG emission policy for the  UK Government.  She holds a  BFA  in visual arts  from ECU, attended Cooper Union School of Art & Science in NYC.

Solo exhibitions include Points & Perforations, for which she received a Canada Council  (CC) New Media Award, resulting that explored the social and economic dynamism of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside through sound, architecture and photography. In 2021 she received a CC Grant completing  Invisible Rivers, initially  exhibited at the GPAG.  Group exhibitions include Looped, at Artemisia, Chicago and The Well, at the Surrey Art Gallery. The Well is held in the SAGAL permanent collection. Durant conceptualized and co-curated Out of the Rain: A Project for Homelessness a collaborative initiative, engaging with community and arts  organizations,, creating  awareness about homelessness in Vancouver. She has exhibited, led workshops and events during  the Capture Photo Festival from 2016 to 2025. 

She is a recent recipient of a CC Grant to research and create, Understory: A Hidden Connection, a sculptural, photographic and sound installation.   

Works are held in public and private collections locally and internationally.