B I O G R A P H Y
Laura Basterra Sanz (born in 1979), a multidisciplinary artist from Barcelona, obtained a BA in Fashion Design from URLL in 2005 and pursued postgraduate studies in textile printing techniques and patternmaking.
Laura's artistic journey spans various mediums, including music, textiles, writing, painting, illustration, and text-based art. Since she moved to Brussels in 2018, her work has focused on abstract painting and text-based art. She creates gestural compositions addressing social subjects such as health and freedom. From her Brussels studio, Laura explores the power of colour to decipher the infinite dimensions and qualities of the Self.
Her exhibitions include notable presentations at the PILAR Brussels Center for Contemporary Art and Science, as well as international exhibitions in London and France. Laura secured a residency at Motoco, thanks to Kunsthalle Mulhouse and the François Schneider Foundation in France, and has twice enjoyed short residencies in various Flemish cultural centres in Brussels. Since 2022, Basterra has been listed with the British gallery Ideelart, granting her a significant global online presence.
Her work has been featured in Wallpaper* Magazine and BRUZZ, and is part of private collections in the UK, the USA, Chile, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, and the Netherlands.
E X H I B I T I O N S
2025 - "Why Paint?", Winns Gallery, London, UK.
2024 - "A Letter From A Friend", Bacio Collective, Bern, CH.
2024 - "Separation, Connection, Circulation", GC De Rinck, Brussels, BE.
2024 - "We Art XL Coup De Coeur", Abbaye de La Cambre, Brussels, BE.
2024 - "La Fin Des Semelles", Les Semelles, Charleville-Mezières, FR.
2024 - "April's Abstract Explosion", Ideelart Gallery, London, UK.
2023 - "En Vogue Now", online Artland, IdeelArt Gallery, London, UK.
2023 - "Intimate/Synergy", MOTOCO, Mulhouse, FR.
2023 - "Mostly Looking For The Same Things", XIV LAB, London, UK.
2023 - "Remain", The Performing Arts Forum, Saint-Erme-Outre-et-Ramecourt, FR.
2022 - "Hello there, I just wanted to ask how you're doing", PILAR Brussels, Brussels, BE.
2022 - "Carte De Visite / Art Open Kunst", Espace Vanderborght, Brussels, BE
2021 - "In The Circle Of Light", See U Brussels, Brussels, BE.
2021 - "A Question Of Lines And Evolution", The Sun-Day Room, Brussels, BE.
2020 - "Rain! And So On", See U Brussels, Brussels, BE.
I N V I S I B I L I T I E S
My work focuses on the invisible life of emotional and sensorial experiences, exploring the connection between the literal and the metaphorical, challenging the notion of their separation.
I create gestural abstract paintings that encourage the body's intelligence to flourish. I’m fascinated by the dynamic interplay of colours as a manifestation of frequency (vibration or energy), fluidity as reflective of the water element, and subtleties or details—elements that surpass verbal expression. I perceive the supports as an extension of myself, akin to a second skin. My work serves to process, organize, and digest my perceptions, embracing the emergence of organic conclusions.
With my text-based art, I use language to transmute ideas and thoughts, granting my mind the freedom to playfully explore the sonority of words. I perceive a distinct musicality in language, as music was the earliest form of expression I encountered as a child. I derive pleasure from the rhythm and resonance of words in various languages. Furthermore, this practice facilitates the recognition of mental patterns and ego-driven behaviours, elevating them to a heightened level of awareness and enabling transformation into healthier thought processes and consequently, behaviour.
I create installations to explain discomfort, authority, freedom and love; driven by the desire to foster harmony around me and to explain that this harmony is inextricably linked to nature. We are nature. Central to my message is the imperative for humanity to reconnect with nature.
Overall, I reflect on the concept of freedom in contrast to control, questioning whether it is embodied or solely a product of the mind. Is perhaps true freedom the ultimate subject of my exploration? The resolution must organically grow from the process of painting itself.
Laura Basterra Sanz, April 2024
For any enquires please e-mail me: laura.basterra.sanz at gmail.com
Follow my studio life and more on INSTAGRAM: @kung.fu.mistress - @give.me.a.breakdance