About Us
Valentina Origins
Our Devizes Art Gallery
Valentina Art Gallery was a natural extension of my life amongst the artists. My mother Sima Vassilieva was a subversive underground artist in the Soviet Union.
She and her many comrades in arms - were always ‘causing trouble’ in the name of free artistic expression. I absorbed their love of art and the spirit of defiance. Our family’s final act of rebellion was a leap into the unknown by immigrating from USSR to UK in 1990. I was thirteen. In a natural trajectory of fate I met my present partner - Marc Shilling in 1998. Also an artist. Also self taught and hugely talented.
Over the years I was a working muse - scaling many walls to hang art, carrying installations, translating catalogues, printing labels, photographing, selling. Etcetera. And now - in Devizes, Wiltshire, where Marc & I settled with our children I opened Soupchick in the historical Shambles Indoor Market. This little soup focused cafe was soon brimming with artworks of local artists. Somehow the magnet of mutual interest attracted them.
When a little lockup space opposite became available – Marc took it on as an art space. Lo and behold within weeks it was full to the rafters with a special brew of Wiltshire art. I realised that a virtual online gallery was needed to give platform and sufficient exposure to everyone who wanted to exhibit. And no matter where you are in the world you can now have access to appreciate full scope of local talent.
Art is imperative to humans. It expresses our needs, reflects our values, illuminates our hidden selves, decorates our living spaces. In a world of generic mass production- art remains one of the last bastions of unique expression. And artists deserve our support as the keepers of individual world views.
I hope you enjoy our collection and embrace the opportunity to appreciate artists of Wiltshire (and beyond) and to support their craft, graft and talent.
Anya Toropov – Valentina Gallery Devizes
so why valentina?
What’s In The Name
As the gallery evolved around us we brainstormed possible names and came up with some really hilarious, silly ones. And also - some obvious and crazy ones. As well as pretentious and outlandish names. Nothing rang true.
In the meantime - far far away in a snowy Russian village my beloved grandmother was fading away. I longed to be with her, but at the time of writing the war in Ukraine was raging. Travelling to Russia was immensely difficult.
And so my ‘Babushka Valya’ died before I could reach her. When I heard - the name of our gallery revealed itself immediately. VALENTINA - my grandmother’s name.
Her life was the stuff of novels. Aged three she was robbed of her parents by Stalin’s ruthless regime. We will never know why. It was 1937 when millions of innocents were ceased, imprisoned, exiled and executed. Sometimes for something as mundane as making a joke about the government.
Sometimes for being a friend or a relative of a person who fell out of favour with the regime. People informed on each other to deter attention from themselves. Informed to survive. My grandmother was one of many millions of orphaned children.
She grew up in an orphanage which was a Dickensian existence with a Soviet twist. Hunger and child labour. Wooden shoes on cobbles and taunting from local children when ‘orphans’ walked by.
By the time she was sixteen young Valentina was sick to the back teeth of being in an institution. She volunteered in an agricultural programme aimed at rebuilding post war USSR. There, in a tent city full of idealistic youngsters she met my grandfather. My father was born nine months later in a makeshift hospital.
On reaching seventeen my grandfather was ‘called up’ to serve his two years of compulsory military service and Valentina with a newborn was dispatched to his home village near Moscow. Innocently optimistic she went in hope of finding a sense of family and belonging. Instead she endured further abuse and injustice from an insular and suspicious community who rejected her.
Always an outsider Valentina lived and worked quietly in this obscure Russian village surrounded by cattle that frightened her and people she had nothing in common with.
Galvanised by hardship my grandmother’s spirit remained strong. Within a perimeter of a blue picket fence encircling her home Valentina created a tiny private paradise. Here she was in control. A keen gardener – she grew masses of bright flowers and made colourful clothes on her small sowing machine. I remember her bright laughter, her circular folk songs and her constant unconditional love.
And so my grandmother is symbolic of a powerful creative drive. Creating beauty in an ugly, corrupt world, in spite of it – and in protest. Now I can look up at the sign above the little gallery, honour her life and feel connected to her. And of course – it’s a beautiful name.
Anya Toropov – Valentina Gallery Devizes
Testimonial
"Just love this little place in Devizes.
Anya and Marc consistently produce first rate home made soups and light lunches; or cakes if you want to indulge. They have added a Gallery to sit in and enjoy both the pictures and food."
Bianca
Devizes
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