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. 

40 items

Raven 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.Raven is one ...

$140.00

Raven 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. Raven is one...

$100.00

Raven 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.Raven is one ...

$90.00

Salmon 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.Salmon was a ...

$140.00

Salmon 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.Salmon was a ...

$130.00

Salmon Egg 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. Salmon was a...

$970.00

Salmon Egg 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. Salmon was a...

$690.00

Salmon Egg Earrings with Diamonds
Val Malesku (Cree)

These earrings feature six 10pt diamonds and measure 1" L from top of diamonds. Indigenous artwor...

These earrings feature six 10pt diamonds and measure 1" L from top of diamonds. 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 ...

$2,800.00

Salmon Egg 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.Salmon was a ...

$710.00

Salmon Egg 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. Salmon was a...

$540.00

Salmon Egg 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. Salmon was a...

$100.00

Salmon Egg 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. Salmon was a...

$100.00

Salmon Egg 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. Salmon was a...

$90.00

Salmon Moon 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.Salmon was a ...

$390.00

Sun and Moon Watch
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.Sun is not a ...

$4,700.00

White Moons
Val Malesku (Cree)

Edition /60 Available framed for $1,100 CAD. Please contact the gallery directly. Inspired by fa...

Edition /60 Available framed for $1,100 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