Angela Valamanesh was born in Port Pirrie, South Australia, in 1953. A graduate of South Australian School of Art in 1977 her practice engages with painting and ceramics. In 1993, Valamanesh completed an MA in Visual Arts at the University of South Australia and a PhD in 2011. She was awarded an Anne & Gordon Samstag International Visual Art Scholarship with a one-year residency at Glasgow School of Art in 1996. In 2023, Valamanesh was the winner of the prestigious Mordant Family/Australia Council Affiliated Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome.
Valamanesh’s practice is centred around her deep interest in science and poetry, the rational and the irrational, the formal and the symbolic. She is known for her fine painting and exceptional, complex ceramics. Valamanesh has collaborated on a number of public works with Hossein Valamanesh, including An Gorta Mor 1999 (The Great Irish Famine Memorial) Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney and 14 pieces, 2005, North Terrace, Adelaide.
Valamanesh's work is held in significant public collections, including the National Gallery of Australia and the Art Gallery of South Australia. In 2008, Angela Valamanesh was the subject of a SALA (South Australian Living Artist) monograph and, in 2019, presented a major survey ICON at Jam Factory, South Australia which proceeded to tour across Australia for the following three years. She was commissioned to create major new work for Free/State, 2022 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia. This year, Valamanesh received the Bettison and James Award, South Australia. Her work is found in private collections around the world including Australia, Japan and the United States.
