Biography
Laura Thipphawong is an artist, writer, and historian, and has exhibited art and presented her research throughout several galleries and international academic forums. Laura made her way from a small town in northern Ontario to Toronto to pursue a career in the arts, and now holds a medal and a Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Critical studies from OCAD University, and a Master of Arts in Art History from the University of Toronto. Her studio practice in oil painting and drawing is representative of her research on the complex narrative symbolism of the psyche in response to various social and emotional factors, with focus on sexuality, horror, folklore, literature, and natural science.
Laura’s work has been featured in several galleries, exhibition spaces, and publications such as CBC Arts, New Visionary Magazine, the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite in Toronto, and the National Gallery of Canada.
Artist Statement
My work is an existential exploration of meaning, which often focuses on the concepts of the psyche and perception, and the relationship between the self and the other. I illustrate these themes symbolically, by reinterpreting psychological elements within folklore and archetypes, and by treating my images and series of works as a chance to tell stories about experience and emotions. As someone who has studied art history and critical theory, I draw on extensive research into the imagery and motifs that I paint, while at the same time applying a deeply personal perspective to the work.
The symbolic representation of emotional experience in my work often means having to reconcile oppositional materials, and then evoking the feelings of unsettlement and inner conflict. While we are comfortable to separate our personal reality from that which threatens us, no one is a spectator of humanity, and no one is absolved of it. I believe that personal evolution and emotional ambiguity are the truest aspects of humanity, however terrifying, and that the psyche remains the most fascinating artistic subject. For this reason, I am intent on searching the areas that hinge between the false dichotomies of good and evil, predator and prey, and beauty and the grotesque.