Clarissa P. Valaeys is a Brazilian visual artist based in Geneva whose practice brings together botanical imagery, an exploration of natural materials and a sensitivity to colour and composition.
She trained in graphic design at the Federal University of Paraná in Brazil before continuing her studies in art direction, typography and illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and in painting techniques at The Cooper Union. Her professional background includes more than a decade in advertising art direction in New York, followed by creative consultancy for luxury brands in France and Switzerland. Since 2020, she has worked as a visual artist in Geneva.
For Clarissa, the plants of her native Brazil are a living link to her roots. Layered botanical forms, translucent passages and intersecting lines create compositions in which leaves, stems and colours overlap. These organic shapes suggest dimensions that lie beyond immediate observation, inviting a quieter, more receptive way of looking and feeling.
Some of the pigments she makes from plants and minerals deepen this connection. Nature enters her work through both the image and the substances that make it, grounding each piece in the particular qualities and origins of its materials. In 2025, she further developed this aspect of her practice through training in natural pigment production with a Brazilian teacher.
Her work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions in Switzerland, including at Galerie Espace L in Geneva, Galerie Lu Monin in Pully, and Galerie La Ruine in Geneva. In 2024, she undertook a Caran d'Ache residency at Plateforme 10 in Lausanne and collaborated with Snap Collective on Roots, a visual book showcasing her work. Since 2024, she has also led Caran d'Ache workshops, both in person and online.
Recent projects include her participation in Galerie Renaissance's 2025 Summer Salon d'Art and a collective show at Kapri, a space dedicated to Brazilian art and design in Biel/Bienne.