Vanessa Maltese (b. 1987, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) works in painting and sculpture, referencing familiar patterns and shapes to pose questions about visual and cognitive perception. Specifically, through her research on pareidolia— the psychological phenomenon in which recognizable patterns are identified in unrelated contexts— and klecksography—the process of making images from inkblots— Maltese explores the psychoanalytic connections between pattern recognition and the subconscious. The flatness of her images is meant to challenge the desire for illusion associated with the history of painting, which she playfully acknowledges through the irregular frames she creates.
Maltese received her BFA from OCAD University in 2010. She is the National Winner of the 2012 RBC Canadian Painting Competition and has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions across North America. Most recently, she has exhibited at Mickey Gallery, Chicago (2020); Night Gallery, Los Angeles (2019); The Power Plant, Toronto (2018); the National Gallery Library and Archives, Ottawa (2017); Carl Louie, London ON (2017); Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York (2016); Greenpoint Terminal Gallery, New York (2016); Art Museum of the University of Toronto, Toronto (2016); Cooper Cole, Toronto (2014); and Erin Stump Projects, Toronto (2012). Her monumental public artwork “subject to change” can be seen at RBC’s Waterpark Place in downtown Toronto. Maltese currently lives and works in Toronto, Canada.
CV
Vanessa Maltese
Born 1988, Toronto, Canada
Lives and works in Toronto, Canada.
Education
2010
BFA, OCAD University, Toronto, Canada
Solo and Two Person Exhibitions
2020
A View Without a Room: Michelle Grabner and Vanessa Maltese, Mickey Gallery, Chicago, USA
2018
How long is a piece of string?, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Same corner, same juys, same line of work, Canon Project Wall – Hamilton Artists Inc, Hamilton, Canada
2017
NADA NY, Cooper Cole Gallery, New York, USA
2016
Company, Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York, USA
Birds flew down to peck at the painted grapes, Cooper Cole, Toronto, Canada
2015
Jonathan Gardner and Vanessa Maltese, Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York, USA
An edge between appears to be a boundary for some, Halsey Mckay, East Hampton, USA
2014
wallwallwallwall, In The Pines, Jackson, USA
The Compleat Gamester, Cooper Cole, Toronto, Canada
2012
Two-fold Tally, Erin Stump Projects, Toronto, Canada
2011
sum forms, Erin Stump Projects, Toronto, Canada
Selected Group Exhibits
2019
Heads, curated by Sky Glabush, McIntosh Gallery, London, Canada
Small Paintings, Corbett vs Dempsey, Chicago, USA
2018
The Other Side: Artworks from RBC Canadian Painting Competition Alumni, Power Plant, Toronto, Canada
Group show, curated by Andy Fairgreive, AiR Glenfiddich Gallery,
Dufftown, Scotland
2017
THE THING Quarterly and a few other things, National Gallery Library and
Archives, curated by Peter Trepanier, Ottawa, Canada
extra-cultural surprise, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, USA
Homestead, Carl Louie, London, Canada
2016
XYZ, Greenpoint Terminal Gallery, New York, USA
All Right Already, Artport Gallery, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Canada
Showroom, Justina M. Barnicke Gallery and University of Toronto Art Centre, Toronto, Canada
The Great Outdoors, Garden Avenue, Toronto, Canada
2014
NADA Miami, Cooper Cole Gallery with Sara Cwynar and Jesse Harris, Miami, USA
Material Art Fair, Cooper Cole Gallery with Sara Cwynar and Owen Kydd, Mexico City, Mexico
paravent, 535 First Street, London, Canada
2013
Endless Vacation, Cooper Cole, Toronto, Canada
The Coffin Factory, 97 Niagara, Toronto, Canada
SPIT, curated by Aleksander Hardashnakov, www.0dx.org, Toronto, Canada
Kitchen Party, 772A College Street, Toronto, Canada
More Than Two (Let It Make Itself), curated by Micah Lexier, The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada
AS IT IS, Wil Aballe Art Projects, Vancouver, Canada
No Dull Affairs, Onsite [at] OCAD U, Toronto, Canada
The Kitchen, Soi Fischer, Toronto, Canada
2012
RBC Canadian Painting Competition, The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada
Re: Arrange, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, Canada
2011
ESP launch, Erin Stump Projects, Toronto, Canada
ad Infinitum, XPACE, Toronto, Canada
2010
Conduits, The Senate Gallery, Toronto, Canada
Other Projects
2016
86400-00468-86400-00468, Gallery of Patrons Limited Edition 2016 – Art With Heart, Toronto, Canada
2013-2015
Vanessa Maltese, artist monograph, published by Cooper Cole, Toronto, Canada
Sterling Road, organized by Lili Huston-Herterich, Vanessa Maltese and Abby McGuane, published by Swimmers Group
2015
subject to change, public art commission for RBC Waterpark Place, Toronto, Canada
cold read, artist edition with Paul + Wendy Projects, Toronto, Canada
Several Observations, book edition with Slow Editions, Toronto, Canada
One Page Folded, print edition with Paul + Wendy Projects, Toronto, Canada
2014
Ornament Swatch, edition with Nothing Else Press, Toronto, Canada
2013
band-aid, Portrait and Landscape signage project for Superframe, Toronto, Canada
Awards/Grants
2016
Emerging Artist Grant, Ontario Arts Council
2014
Visual Artists Project Grant, Canada Council for the Arts
Emerging Artist Grant, Ontario Arts Council
2012
Emerging Visual Artists Grant, The Toronto Arts Council
RBC – National prize, 14th Annual RBC Painting Competition
2010
OCAD U – Drawing & Painting Medalist Award, Toronto, Canada
OCAD U – Nora E. Vaughan Award, Toronto, Canada
OCAD U – Tony Caldwell Scholarship, Toronto, Canada
OCAD U – Owen W. Wilson Memorial Award, Toronto, Canada
2009
OCAD U – Catherine Daigle Award, Toronto, Canada
OCAD U – Marsh Urquhart Memorial Scholarship, Toronto, Canada
Artist Talks/Panels
2013
Conversations from the Toronto Art World, Panel Discussion with Georgia Dickie and Lili Huston-Herterich, mediated by Shari Orenstein, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Artist Talk for No Dull Affairs, Onsite [at] OCAD U, Toronto, Canada
In Studio: Jeremy Laing & Vanessa Maltese, initiated by Mercer Union, Toronto, Canada
Painting Today, Beyond The Canvas, Panel Discussion with Nicole Collins and Francine Savard, mediated by John Kissick, Varley Art Gallery, Markham, Canada
Bibliography
2016
Tomic, Milena. “Vanessa Maltese & Nathalie Du Pasquier,” frieze.com, July 28; frieze magazine, October (forthcoming)
James, Leah. “Critic’s Pick: Birds flew down to peck at the painted grapes,” Artforum, July
Whyte, Murray. “On the wall: What’s in the galleries this week,” The Toronto Star, June 22
2014
“Vanessa Maltese – Interview by Micah Lexier”, Photography by Aaron Wynia, Bad Day, Issue 18
Clarke, Bill. “Exhibition Reviews – Vanessa Maltese, The Compleat Gamester”, Magenta Magazine, Spring
Cooper, Josh. “Local art collective hosts Canadian artist”, Jackson Hole News&Guide, April 30, p.7
2013
Whyte, Murray. At the Power Plant, All Together Now, Toronto Star, September 24
Soi, Lucas. Material Matters: A Roundtable Discussion with Five Promising Toronto Artists, Magenta Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 2, Summer
Clarke, Bill. Vanessa Maltese: Two-Fold Tally, Erin Stump Projects — Review, C Magazine, Issue 117, “Translation”, Spring
Goodden, Sky and Benjamin Bruneau. Canada’s Top 30 Under 30, BLOUIN ARTINFO, Spring
2012
Gunn, Andrew. In the Confines of Painting–Interview, Canadian Interviews, September
Berube, Chris. The RBC Canadian Painting Competition interview series–Interview, The Walrus, November
RBC. 2012 RBC Canadian Painting Competition (exhibition catalogue), Royal Bank of Canada, Fall, p. 34-35
Residencies
2018
Artist-in-Residence program, Glenfiddich, Dufftown, Scotland
2015
Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, USA, January
2014
In The Pines – Residency preceding solo project – wallwallwallwall, Jackson, USA, May
2013
Soi Fischer Thematic Residency with Artie Vierkant, Gibraltar Point, Toronto Island, Canada, February
Public Collections
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Library Collection, New York, USA