Laura Põld, Estonia

Laura Põld is an interdisciplinary artist from Estonia, combining various means of artistic expression such as sculpture, textile, ceramics, video, and photography. The artist works with diverse territories of pictorial terrain and philosophical or poetic texts that influence her thinking about the matter and the making of objects and spatial installations. The artist carefully chooses the materials based on their agency and historical context. Using traditional techniques such as ceramics or rug-making, Põld blurs the boundaries between the current and the archaic. Her recent works highlight the topics of intimacy, and the search for a place in the world, as well as the ecological subtexts, the relationship between man and nature, and the ethics thereof.
​
Laura Põld studied ceramics at the Estonian Academy of Arts (BA, 2007), painting at Tartu University (MA, 2010) and sculptural conceptions and ceramics at the University of Art and Design in Linz (MA, 2021). Põld has participated in solo-, duo- and group exhibitions in Estonia, Austria, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Hungary and France. She has been to residencies in Maebashi Works in Gumna, Japan (2016), Ateliers Höherweg e. V.-s in Düsseldorf, Germany (2017), in CC. art space in Isfahan, Iran (2017), in Atelierhaus Salzamt in Linz, Austria (2012, 2018), ISCP, New York (2019) and at the LaunchPad LaB in Charente (2022). Laura Põld has been awarded with a number of prizes and scholarships like the Eduard Wiiralt scholarship (2008), annual prize of The Cultural Endowment of Estonia (2014), Köler Prize grand prix (2016) and main prize of The Cultural Endowment of Estonia (2019). Laura Põld is currently working as Visiting Associate Professor at the Estonian Academy of Arts, department of installation and sculpture. 

Photo by Marek Mäemets

Laura Põld is in residency with L'AiR Arts at Atelier 11 in June 2023 and will present her work at the Open Studio on June 29th as part of the first annual Atelier 11 Benefit Salon.