Valeria Maldonado (1992), is a Peruvian-born artist and architect, based in New York City. Holding a Bachelor's degree in Architecture and a Master of Fine Arts in Textiles from Parsons School of Design, she has established herself as a textile sculptor whose work centers on weaving’s ability to shape three-dimensional forms.

Drawing from her architectural background, Maldonado is fascinated with creating self-supporting textiles, which open possibilities for unexpected structural shapes and the creation of internal space. She combines weaving, sprang, basketry, coiling, natural dyes, and clay to create duality within her sculptures, often using coarse materials contrasted with delicate open grids. Her Peruvian heritage informs her material approach and is centered on natural elements ranging from alpaca, “junco,” sisal rope, and rattan to clays, ochres, sand, and natural dyes. These material combinations allow for structure and plasticity.

Maldonado's work is both analytical and nostalgic. By inspecting themes around containment, inhabiting space, and the maternal strength of nature, she crafts sculptures that portray different environments within themselves, often incorporating principles to reconfigure architecture from a feminist point of view. Simultaneously, she finds inspiration in her childhood, the earthy tones of her brick-colored apartment, her mother’s teal eyes, and the scenery of her coastal hometown in Lima. The dynamic relationship between the ocean and the rocks, with their contrasting yet complementary qualities, inspires her to explore the interplay of fluid caves and structured waters.

With her work, Valeria aims to challenge notions of what is flexible versus what is structured. Her pieces are catalysts for thinking about how we inhabit space and envision potential transformations of our environments if we return to primordial or maternal womb-like forms.