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