lilvswagprincess
VERONICA CLEMENTS
Born, lives, & works in Chicago, IL
I see my work existing at the intersection of critique and celebration, where the vibrancy of girlhood collides with the fleeting nature of life. Through a visual language rooted in pop culture, nostalgia, and vanitas symbolism, I explore the delicate balance and tension between love and grief, particularly within the feminine experience. Just as an oyster encases an irritant to form a pearl, I consider how mothers, daughters, and women at large absorb pain, transforming it into something precious yet heavy.
My paintings are curiosity cabinets—collections of objects, symbols, and memories that speak to the transitions of girlhood to womanhood to motherhood, and the inevitable complexities of those evolutions. The objects I paint–pearls, butterflies, rain droplets on a window–become artifacts of intimacy, relics of tenderness and loss.
CV
veronica.clements.art@gmail.com
EDUCATION
BFA Painting & Art History - University of Illinois ‘18
Museum Studies Certificate - Northwestern University ‘22
Masters of Science in Leadership for Creative Enterprises - Northwestern University ‘23
GRANTS & AWARDS
2021 - Juror's Choice Award - Evanston + Vicinity Biennial
2018 - James R. and Dorothy Shipley Award for Most Outstanding Graduating Senior
CURATIONS
2024 - Our Delicate Armor - Stasia’s Gallery - Chicago, IL
2023 - Tickled Pink - Woman Made Gallery - Chicago, IL
2023 - Hot Pink Platter - A.I.R. Gallery - Glencoe, IL
2022 - Dreamscape Diaries - Bridgeport Art Center - Chicago, IL
2018 - Radical Optimism - Campground 4 - Urbana, IL
2018 - Littorally - Campground 4 - Urbana, IL
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
(upcoming) 2025 - Forever Indebted - South Suburban College, Holland, OL
2023 - Pinky Promise - Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
EXHIBITIONS
2024 - Our Delicate Armor - Stasia’s Gallery, Chicago, IL
2023 - Hot Pink Platter - A.I.R. Gallery, Glencoe, IL
2022 - Age of the Bimbo - Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2022 - Elgin Fringe Fest - Side Street Studios, Elgin, IL
2022 - Dreamscape Diaries - Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago, IL
2021 - Words Matter - The Art Center, Highland Park IL
2021 - Evanston + Vicinity Biennial - Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL - Juror’s Choice Award
2020 - LOSS, A Virtual Exhibition - Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2020 - Collectively Shifting - Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago, IL
2019 - Pop Art 2.0 - The Art Center, Highland Park, IL
2019 - Heffy Bleeding Out Listening Party - Chicago, IL
2019 - Support Your Local Homies - Chicago, IL
2018 - Krannert Art Museum BFA Show - Champaign, IL
2018 - Selfish - Champaign, IL
2018 - LilVSwagPrincess Solo Show - Women's Resource Center, Champaign, IL
2018 - Space For the Mind - Champaign, IL
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Annette LePique, “Our Delicate Armor”, New Art Examiner, September 2024
Annette LePique, “A Girl Thing: A Review of Pinky Promise at Evanston Art Center”, NewCity, August 2023
Jasmine Ledesma, “All That Glitters: Veronica Clements’ Paintings Recall Girlhood in Screaming Color”, NewCity, December 2020
PUBLICATIONS
“Sustaining the Spotlight: TheFuture of Nonprofit Theatre in America”, Latz & Company, February 2025
“On the Intersection of Art and Feminism,” WomenUnite!, April 2024
ORGANIZATIONS
Chair - Young Women’s Caucus for Art
Board Member - Chicago Women’s Caucus for Art
Strategy Consultant - Woman Made Gallery