Point of Origin: A Monographic Memoir By Valerie Piraino

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At over 400 pages, Point of Origin: A Monographic Memoir is the debut book by East African sculptor Valerie Piraino. This hardcover printing brings beautiful reproductions of Piraino's work together with design details like a gold ribbon bookmark and foil stamped covers.

In Point of Origin: A Monographic Memoir, sculptor Valerie Piraino chronicles a hard-earned life-shift away from the confines of the art world. Both memoir and monograph, Piraino defines herself and her creative work in her own words and images. Weaving her life story, personal pictures, and over fifteen years of work as a sculptor, Piraino shares some of her early influences, including her formative years throughout Africa and the impact of personal loss.

Her thoughts detail the challenges she encountered working in the early-aughts up through today, around who an African woman is and what an artist can do, shedding light on an urge she couldn’t shake to connect to something bigger than the limitations of her time. This personal exploration tells the story of what unfolded when Piraino tasked herself to, “go where the love is,” giving us a glimpse into what a heart-centered approach to creativity can look like.