BINDING CHANGE
Interviewed Oct 2024. Photographed by James Kramer. Written & Edited by Mila Fowler.
Jackie Valadez is a Milwaukee based artist that uses mixed media to explore playful yet introspective themes, challenging viewers to think about the different forces that shape being. Currently shifting the focus of her work from self-deprecation to self-transformation, we met in her Milwaukee studio for a conversation about inspirations, next steps, and how the Littlest Pet Shop represents freedom. The essence of play reflects itself in everything about Jackie, from her art to her avid toy collection, representing the feeling of magic and nostalgia that’s portrayed in her collections.
TRIPLE3: So, we saw that your most recent show was at Woodland Pattern. How did that go and do you have any future galleries that you’re excited about?
JACKIE VALADEZ: I was really excited about the Woodland Pattern show because my friend Marissa Jezak was here visiting last summer, and we started to talk about doing a show together. We met at a residency in 2021 and connected so well. We’ve been back and forth working with each other ever since. Our work is very similar, thematically and aesthetically, so proposing a show together came easy. I don’t know if I necessarily want to think about gallery shows anymore just because this summer made me realize how I can focus too much on creating work specifically for shows. I'm still working through the problem of not consistently making work unless there’s an end goal of a show or a deadline. So I'm trying to break out of that but I do have a handful of galleries that I admire. Gern en Regalia, Afternoon Projects and April April are some that I keep an eye on, they all put on really cool shows. I feel like the gallery scene in Milwaukee is a little slow or they’re not too open to experimental kinds of work.
3: What’s your creative process like? Is it messy, organized, planned, self-led?
J: It’s a little bit planned, but once I start working it gets really messy really fast. My work tables will all be filled with things spread out everywhere. Now that I think about it, my workflow is definitely how it would be if you had a bunch of toys spread out around you, taking what you wanted to play with and combining them in different ways. With my paper collage stuff especially, I like to work in this way. I save a lot of paper scraps, and I combine things that have been purposefully cut out with random pieces and it’s a good way to generate new ideas. I have a box filled with different paper cut outs that’s kind of like a toy box.
Note to Self (Next to Sirus) paper, tape, and inkjet print (interior page) Parasite Cleanse (2024)
Note to Self (Next to Sirus) paper, tape, and inkjet print (interior page) Parasite Cleanse (2024)
Untitled (2024) oil pastels, graphite, and paper
Star.2 (2024) paper and tape, Out of The Suitcase
3: Tell us more specifically about the work that you do and you’ve put out.
J: I'm working with the concept of play a lot in my work. Thinking of it as the basis of self-transformation. It’s a pretty big thing to look at yourself from an outside perspec
3: Why do you only use Tumblr?
J: I was on Instagram before but I got off of it during the pandemic. I was kind of weirdly aware but unaware of how my work would change in relation to what I posted on Instagram. So if I saw what was getting popular on Instagram or what people were doing, consciously and unconsciously my work would shift to reflect that. There was a point, do you guys remember when people were drawing like fucking cowboy boots on everything?
3: Yes. And bows.
J: Yeah, and bows.
3: Why Tumblr specifically though?
J:I’ve been using Tumblr since I was a teen so it was always just kind of there as an option. I think initially just to have somewhere to put work, but as I started using it more I realized people there are willing to interact with stuff in a deeper way. I think because the reblogging action is such a big part of Tumblr, there’s definitely a slower pace with taking things in and I really appreciate that. I’ve met really cool people on there too, I’ve gotten a couple of pen pals.
3: What do you think your younger self would think of what you’re doing now?
J: Mmmmm. This is my favorite question because I can’t even think about it. It makes me want to cry. Just like, this: my studio, my materials, my dolls, my books. The freedom, I think. The absolute joy. It’s just—I feel self-actualized. I'm doing what I’ve always wanted to do: play and make art, that’s it. I don’t even know how to articulate it fully. I’ve been trying to and it’s just like I know I'm gonna cry. That was basically the preparation for that question, don’t cry and it obviously didn’t work.
3: Do you have a favorite movie?
J: Mmm, no. But I really love The Prince of Egypt. Have you seen that?
3: No.
J: It’s this animated biblical story. I don’t know why I'm so obsessed with it. The soundtrack is top tier. I don’t have a favorite movie but every time I get asked that question, that movie pops into my head and I'm embarrassed about it so I'll usually just say I don’t have one.
Read more about Jackie in Triple Issue 1
