Valerie Syposz: Figure

About the artist

Valerie Syposz is an Ottawa-born printmaker whose work centres on the human form. Her practice is rooted in life drawing, using sketches as a foundation to be rearranged and altered through the addition or subtraction of marks during the printing process. Rather than capturing specific individuals, she creates figures intended to evoke shared emotional experiences.

Currently specialising in lithography and relief techniques, Syposz focuses on the balance between creative expression and technical craftsmanship. Alongside her studio work, she researches alternative methods to make printmaking more accessible for home environments.

Syposz holds an MFA in Printmaking from Tokyo University of the Arts and a BFA from Concordia University. Her international career includes solo exhibitions in Seoul, Montreal, Trondheim, and Tokyo, as well as residencies in China, Norway, and Sweden.

Her work has been widely recognised in the field of miniature printmaking, receiving awards such as the Excellence in Miniature Printmaking Award from SAGA Gallery in 2025 and the Merritt Dyke Purchase Award in 2024. She has previously won the Awagami Paper Award and multiple purchase prizes from the Ottawa School of Art.

Selected for the 2025 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and Printfest Ulverston 2026, Syposz has also shown work at the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair and the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Her prints are held in public collections including the Jyväskylä Art Museum in Finland, the China Printmaking Museum, and the Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts in Japan.