WHITE SAND

Concept:
White Sand is Valentinaki’s poetic exploration of nature’s imperfect perfection. Centered on the oyster shell as a symbol of resilience and subtle beauty, the series uses the color white to evoke purification, introspection, and spiritual transcendence. Each work invites viewers to embrace imperfection and discover the profound elegance inherent in simplicity, texture, and natural form.

Artistic Critique:
Valentinaki’s White Sand transcends material experimentation, drawing instead from a tactile, emotional, and visionary approach. Her installation paintings are alive with subtle variations in light, perspective, and mood, offering viewers a continually evolving experience.
While her earlier series Black Sand reflected the desolate landscapes of the Baltic Sea and environmental fragility, White Sand turns inward, exploring introspection, serenity, and the spiritual potential of matter. White in Valentinaki’s work is not merely a color—it is a vessel for the full spectrum of the soul’s impulses, articulated through delicate oyster shells and abstract forms. These elements create both dimension and contrast, emphasizing the primordial and generative qualities inherent in nature.
The site-specific exhibition at the Ancient Oratory of the Passion in Milan amplified this dialogue, contrasting the pristine, luminous whites of the artworks against centuries-old architectural textures. The result is a contemplative journey toward essentiality, where abstraction and emotion converge in a meditation on purity, light, and the infinite possibilities of artistic expression.
Text by Marco de Crescenzo – Art Critic