I am a visual artist who primarily works with photography, although I have tiptoed in video and performance art as well. I have been engaged in public service through the work that I have done with at-risk youth through the juvenile correctional system at the California Youth Authority, among others. I like the idea of tip-toeing in my discipline; it suggests that I am willing to explore different themes, approaches, and ideas. Since 1985 I have been exhibiting my photographic artwork locally, nationally, and now, internationally. My journey as an artist is both personal and political. I highlight the sociological by showing a world composed of individuals (including myself) who are varied, assertive, and intimate. I have concentrated on identity, culture, and outsider status. | ![]() |
Laura Aguilar
I am a visual artist who primarily works with photography, although I have tiptoed in video and performance art as well. I have been engaged in public service through the work that I have done with at-risk youth through the juvenile correctional system at the California Youth Authority, among others. I like the idea of tip-toeing in my discipline; it suggests that I am willing to explore different themes, approaches, and ideas. Since 1985 I have been exhibiting my photographic artwork locally, nationally, and now, internationally.
My journey as an artist is both personal and political. I highlight the sociological by showing a world composed of individuals (including myself) who are varied, assertive, and intimate. I have concentrated on identity, culture, and outsider status. This has generally resulted in my work reflecting on issues such as gender, size, and people of color. A lot of my past work was concerned with the body, my own and others. As you can tell from my work, I have an interest in how large vessels move within increasingly compact societies, both physically and intellectually.
Over the last few years I have begun to experiment through photography with how the body moves. This has also led me to begin investigating the spiritual aspects of the body and how it rejuvenates through nature. I am in search of images that convey balance, grace, and serenity. This is obviously a shift in my own perceptions and desires, moving from urban portraiture to a larger idea of seeing ourselves in the ever expanding and shifting relationship to the nature. In a way, I was always moving towards a culture, but now the definition of what it is has profoundly shifted for me. I was always defined (and profoundly accepted) by the identity markers that were given to me, Chicana, female, lesbian, working-class, etc. But, now I am expanding those ideas to include a larger worldview that positions me as a central part in the landscape of nature.
These images have also served as a form of empowerment and acceptance for the audience and myself. Women taking ownership of their bodies and allowing forgiveness of self as a form of healing is one of the ways in which I have approached my work. It is as much formal experiment as it is a societal gift.