Hi, I'm Laura.
Artist Statement
As a multidisciplinary artist, I investigate modes of communication and storytelling. My practice of community engagement encompasses photography, performance, video, graphic design, installation, and writing. My adventurous and dauntless nature leads me to geopolitical locations, where I immerse myself in cultures and landscapes.
I explore methods of engagement with people in connection with my energetic healing practice and Indigenous perspectives based on ancient wisdom. My aim is to see the whole person—physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual—as one with the land, ancestors, past lives, and the natural world. This can include channeling through dreamwork, meditation, and active listening.
My work revolves around notions of belonging and acceptance. Initially focused on my mother’s identity as a Lumbee Tribeswoman with no legal acknowledgment, new work is rooted in my recovery from a traumatic brain injury suffered in 2021 in Berlin, fundamentally altering the way I understand myself and navigate the world.
Bio
Born in Orange County California, USA in 1971. I live and work in Berlin and New York City. I am an American, Indigenous artist, activist, energy healer, designer, and cultural organizer. My collective participatory practice encompasses photography, video, installation, writing, and social interventions with a focus on storytelling, human rights causes, gameplay, and social engagement. I fuse energetic healing practices with Indigenous perspectives, aiming to perceive individuals holistically. Centered on belonging and acceptance, has evolved through recovery from a brain injury in 2021, reshaping my self-perception and approach to the world.
I hold a Bachelor of Science in Communication focusing on Video Production from Emerson College (1994), Boston, MA., USA, and an associate degree in Multimedia Design (1999) from The Art Institute of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA., USA. Other education includes Art & Sustainability (2009) Weimar-Jena-Akademie, Weimar, Germany, and Artist Summer Institute (2011), New York, NY. USA.
From 2010 to 2012, I managed the Lucky Gallery, and since 2012, I've served as the founder and director of Studio DE-CONSTRUKT. Both establishments are situated in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a community where I've been deeply involved for 14 years.
I have exhibited in galleries and festivals worldwide and have participated in residencies and workshops in Abkhazia, Armenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Palestine, Republic of Abkhazia, Romania, Spain, Turkey, and the United States.
Private collections include Georgia, Germany, Iceland, Kyrgyzstan, Palestine, the Republic of Artsakh, Romania, Sweden, and the United States.