Val Malesku


Val Malesku was born in British Columbia in 1953 to a Romanian father and a Cree mother. She moved to Haida Gwaii, BC in 1972 where she pursued a variety of occupations including gold prospecting and commercial fishing. She began working with silver and gold in 1981 and perfected her skills in Northwest Coast formline, learning alongside some of the finest contemporary Haida artists, including Bill Reid, and Reg Davidson. Her work and friendship with Reid had an important influence on her art and life. She was active within the Haida culture and ceremony for many decades. 

Malesku was also an accomplished sewer, well known for her button blankets, ceremonial vests and dance regalia. Although she was trained mostly as a jeweller she also worked in wood and paper. In 2012, she won an award through YVR and was commissioned to create a series of street banners that lined the streets on the approach to the Vancouver International Airport. That same year she released her first serigraph edition. The popular print "Salmon Eggs Unleashed" is a Northwest Coast expansion of a "dot" pattern made famous by British Artist Damien Hirst. The print, like all of Malesku's work, is an interesting blend of a modern contemporary aesthetic and the traditional formline of the Haida. 

43 items

Back to the '60s
Val Malesku (Cree)

Edition /60Available framed for $1100 CAD. Please contact the gallery directly.Inspired by famed ...

Edition /60Available framed for $1100 CAD. Please contact the gallery directly.Inspired by famed British artist Damien Hirst’s Spot paintings, Val Malesku created this series of serigraph prints with the Salmon Egg motif, dually representing the Moon. Both Salmon and the Moon are associated with cycles – the cycle of the seasons, cycles of the moon, and the life cycle of the Salmon. Both the Moon and the Salmon have associations with regeneration and renewal.

$450.00

Butterfly Pendant
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Butterfly is ...

$120.00

Dragonfly Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

$160.00

Dragonfly Pendant
Val Malesku (Cree)

$110.00

Eagle
Val Malesku (Cree)

Measurements with base: 12" H x 28 ¼" W x 5" D Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast...

Measurements with base: 12" H x 28 ¼" W x 5" D Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral...

$2,500.00

Eagle Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Eagle is an e...

$140.00

Eagle Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Eagle is an e...

$120.00

Eagle Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Eagle is an e...

$110.00

Eagle Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Eagle is an e...

$120.00

Eagle Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Eagle is an e...

$620.00

Eagle Pendant
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Eagle is an e...

$90.00

Eagle Pendant
Val Malesku (Cree)

Eagle is one of the most important beings in the art and mythology of the Northwest Coast. It is ...

Eagle is one of the most important beings in the art and mythology of the Northwest Coast. It is respected for its intel­ligence and power, as well as its extraordinary vision, in both the literal and figurative senses. Eagles in myth are, likewise, usu­ally noble characters. Eagle is revered as a powerful hunter. Groups of mythical Eagles may gather for co-operative whale hunting expeditions, since, unlike the giant Thunderbird, Eagle is not strong enough to hunt whales alone. Eagle may ofte...

$110.00

Eagle Pendant
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Eagle is an e...

$100.00

Feather Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.On the Northw...

$170.00

Flame Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

$130.00

Flame Pendant
Val Malesku (Cree)

$520.00

Frog Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Frog is a cre...

$150.00

Frog Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Frog is a cre...

$170.00

Frog Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions. Frog is a cr...

$130.00

Frog Pendant
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Frog is a cre...

$100.00

Frog Pendant
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Frog is a cre...

$300.00

Frog Pendant
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Frog is a cre...

$1,400.00

Hummingbird Wing Earrings
Val Malesku (Cree)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Hummingbird i...

$160.00