Info

Laura Eldret is an artist, researcher and organiser. Her installations, posters, drawings, textiles, videos and events have been exhibited internationally in major galleries worldwide. She has been awarded commissions by major art institutions and undertaken extensive projects and residencies, from England to Argentina. Laura has organised numerous exhibitions, events and conferences. She is founding director of More Than Ponies, an occasional artist-led programme of contemporary art for/about the New Forest and beyond. She was co-founder/director of CollectingLiveArt (2007-10) and was an Associate Artist on ‘Schools of Tomorrow’ at Nottingham Contemporary (2019–23). Laura is an associate lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth and she has been a guest artist at numerous other universities. In 2023 she was awarded a CATE studentship by UWE Bristol to carry out a PhD (2023–26) titled Commoning forms & practices: Productive intersections of socially engaged art, ruralities and social ecology. She is a trained permaculturist and play worker.

Laura is interested in the commonalities that bring diverse groups of people together and the productive tensions of social encounters. Drawing on methodologies of ethnography, sociology and ecology, she explores ways to affirm the value of conversation and social encounters across species. Her art and research explores how commoning can be a creative social collective practice that creates new forms of environmental care and sustainable exchanges between human and non-human ecosystems. She is concerned with establishing new values of engagement, ruralities, collective imaginations and artistic exchange that foster wellbeing, resilience, and sustainable ways of being in a time of climate emergency.

mail[at]lauraeldret.co.uk

Select Exhibitions and Projects:

2022

  • The Place we Imagine, Assemble and Schools of Tomorrow, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham
  • Dappled Light, More Than Ponies, New Forest

2021

  • Those Who Look Out and Those Who Look Back, God’s House Tower, Southampton.
  • Close Enough, Procreate Projects

2019

  • Conventions, Karst, Plymouth. Outset Fig.2 commission with The Box, Plymouth (Solo)
  • ACTS, commission for BEAF – Bournemouth emerging arts festival
  • Drawing Biennial 2019, Drawing Room, London

2018

  • Play It Again: The art of remaking, Firstsite, Colchester
  • Celebrate, Whitechapel Gallery participatory project for City Gateway Women’s Project
  • 07427397776 off-site commission for Fungus Press and Turf Projects, Croydon, London

2017

  • ONLINE, a new online commission for Up Projects, UK (Solo)
  • Drawing Biennial 2017, Drawing Room, London
  • 3 Dartboard (Constellation), Thames-Side Studios Gallery, London
  • Air: Display A Show in The Sky, Ox Art, London

2016

  • URRA, Galería Del Infinito, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • VG Group Exhibition, Annely Juda, London
  • Foreign Objects, CCA Derry, N. Ireland
  • TABLE, Tannery Projects, London
  • Music Heard Through Utopia, Somerset House, London
  • Contributed to ‘hmn’  a quarterly event organised by Anne Tallentire & Chris Fite-Wassilak

2015

  • ‘The Juicers’, Fig-2 50/50, at ICA, London (Solo)
  • ‘The Interior’, Ditto Gallery, London
  • ‘Gotas’ Annka Kultys Gallery, London  (Solo)
  • ‘Graphics Interchange Format’, Focal Point Gallery, Southend
  • ‘3 | Juicers’, Fig-2 1/50, at ICA, London (Solo)
  • ‘Drawing Biennial 2015 ‘, Drawing Room, London

2014

  • ‘Art Lending Library’, Crown Street Gallery, Darlington
  • ‘Hey’, site specific performance, Artlicks Weekend (solo)
  • ‘Tan Lines’, Tannery Arts, London

2013

  • ‘Rough Play’ South London Gallery (Solo)
  • ‘Monster’, Ikon, Birmingham, UK
  • ‘Drawing Biennial 2013’, Drawing Room, London
  • ‘Working on the Inside II’ at Tannery Arts, London

2012

  • ‘Power Plays’, The Gallery, Arts University Bournemouth, UK (Solo)
  • ‘Dawdle’, Space, London
  • ‘Working on the Inside’ at Tannery Arts, London
  • ‘Fought (the play & the film)’, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • ‘Monster’, Focal Point Gallery, UK
  • ‘Art Lending Library’, Glasgow International at Market Gallery

2011

  • ‘Fought (the re-enactment)’, Performance, London
  • ‘A New Ceremony For Hampstead’, Camden Arts Centre, London
  • ‘Song For A Tradesmen Choir’, Camden Arts Centre, London
  • ‘Have you Been Sworn? (at Highgate)’, Camden Arts Centre, London
  • ‘ A Trick of the Light’, Core Gallery, London

2010

  • ‘The Black and White Stall’, Art Car Boot Fair, London
  • ‘Cine Tech 2010 HD’ screening night at Primo Alonso
  • ‘Colour Me Blind’, 52 Meters, London (solo)
  • ‘Multiplicity of a Moment’, Five Hundred Dollars, London (Two person show)

2009

  • ‘A HA HA’, Jerwood Project Space, London (solo)
  • ‘Magic Order’ Art Car Boot Fete at Big Chill Festival
  • ‘Jumbal Sale’ project at Artists Jumble Sale, Artquest, London
  • ‘Monument ‘performance at Musée des Beaux-arts de Nantes, France
  • ‘Le Belle Chaise ‘ Atelier/Performance, Nantes, France
  • ‘Drawing 2009’ Biennale fundraiser, Drawing Room, London

2008

  • ‘Without You It’s Nothing’, project as part of Deptford X, London
  • ‘Poignancy Passing Muster’, V22 at Wharf Road, London (Group)
  • ‘Ripe for Revisiting on a Daily Basis’, 52 Meters, London (Group)

Residencies and Awards:

  • 2019 – 23 Associate Artist on Schools of Tomorrow, Nottingham Contemporary
  • 2017  Gasworks / URRA Residency in Buenos Airies to realise Patagonia/ Wales project
  • 2017   Shortlisted for the Vordemberge-Gildewart Prize
  • 2014   Recipient of British Council Artists International Development Award to travel and make work in Mexico

Curatorial and Research:

  • since 2019  Director MTP (More Than Ponies), New Forest, Hampshire, UK
  • 2016            ‘What is the Digital Draw?’, Drawing Room, London
  • 2012            FYI, exhibition of public information films, Pump House Gallery, London
  • 2007-10     Co-Director and co-founder of CollectingLiveArt

Publications:

  • 2022 Art and the Rural Imagination, edited by Colin Perry, MTP
  • 2018  Ur / Our / Your Voice – 0 7 4 2 7 3 9 7 7 7 6 , produced by Turf Projects and Fungus Press
  • 2017  Fig-2 50 Projects in 5 Weeks, edited by Fatos Ustek, Black Dog Publishing
  • 2015  ‘Rough Play’ in Critical Contemporary Culture journal (CCC)
  • 2012   ‘Power Plays’, The Gallery, Arts University Bournemouth

Talks/ Teaching:

  • Ongoing Associate Lecturer at Arts University Bournemouth
  • 2020 Artist mentor, BRB, Caraboo, Bristol
  • 2019 Commision to Collect ( Performance Art), Karst, Plymouth
  • 2016  El Centro Cultural MATTA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • 2016 ‘TABLE’ with curator Ben Roberts, artists Rachael Champion and Ox Art, Tannery projects, London
  • 2015  Various artists talks for Fig.2, London
  • 2015  CCC Panel Discussion on ‘Play’
  • 2014  Collecting New Media & Performance Art, Contemporary Art Society and London Art Fair
  • 2013  Contributing symposium speaker, Exploring Pro-Social Conflict, SLG, London
  • 2012  Panel member for ‘The Real World’ discussion at Whitechapel Gallery
  • 2011  Panel discussion about ‘Show’ exhibition at Jerwood Space, London
  • 2010  ‘Futurising’, artist talk and panel discussion, London
  • 2010  ‘How to Sell Performance work’, talk for Artquest, London
  • 2009  Conversations, at LISTE 09, Basel, talks programme by CollectingLiveArt

Taught at Goldsmiths University of London, Wimbledon School of Art, Hatfield University, Nantes School of Art, Villa Arson, Royal College of Art, Artsadmin, Norwich University College of Arts and University of the Arts London.

Education:

  • 2022 Constellations, Up Projects, Liverpool Biennial and Flat Time House.
  • 2018  Social Anthropology, Continued Education at University of Oxford, Oxford.
  • 2017  Diplomas in Digital Marketing and Content Marketing, Shaw Academy.
  • 2001-2004   BA Fine Art Painting, Wimbledon School of Art, London.

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