Spotlight

Spotlight Multidisciplinary artist Lauren Baker

Championed by Noelle Reno
The Wick - Lauren Baker, 'FREQUENCY OF THE MOON', courtesy of the artist
Above  Lauren Baker, ‘FREQUENCY OF THE MOON’, courtesy of the artist
ONES TO
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ONES TO
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The Wick - Lauren Baker, 'Letter To Mother Earth' Installation at Tate Modern. Photo by Jennifer Moyes MT Art.
Above  Lauren Baker, ‘Letter To Mother Earth’ Installation at Tate Modern. Photo by Jennifer Moyes MT Art.
Interview
Lauren Baker
02 November 2022
Interview
Lauren Baker
02 November 2022
British contemporary artist Lauren Baker’s new exhibition will be unveiled this week at Box Galleries. Running until 24 November, her work in ‘Aglow’ explores metaphysics and raising levels of consciousness, mixing neon sculptures and digital ink painting, using the colours of the aurora borealis. It’s the latest exhibition from London-based Baker who started her art career in 2012 after discovering a mosaic street-art project in Brazil. She’s been exploring human connection and the expansiveness of the universe ever since across multiple disciplines and mediums.

Passionate about innovation and a leading voice in the Web3 space, this week’s champion Noelle Reno was introduced to Baker’s work by a mutual friend.
Reno says: “I met Lauren a few years back at an exhibit she did in Shoreditch at a pop-up gallery run by my friend Jacqui Pittack. Jacqui is awesome at spotting super cool contemporary artists at her gallery Imitate Modern. Lauren’s art struck me immediately. I absolutely love how she has taken mantras and turned them into really cool even socially acceptable pieces of work. The way she works with lighting to express messaging I find so relevant. Her art is really about how it makes you feel. I love how her work is something that can integrate with a home environment, which makes it so accessible. “

Baker’s visual style is often built around either emitting or reflecting light to express the ‘secrets of the universe’, and connecting with something beyond or much bigger than our own immediate world. Many of her pieces directly reference the frequencies emitted by astronomical bodies, as well as those attributed to plants, human organs and chakras.

Baker says: “I’m deeply inspired by the immensity of the universe, so there are a lot of cosmic works inspired by metaphysics. This recent series tunes into my revelations during silence. I never try to think of a theme. The art is a natural expression of my essence in the moment of creation. I keep my practice very open, intuitive, free flowing, and experimental – it’s fun that way.”

She has created installations at the V&A, Tate Britain and Tate Modern and her work is held in collections worldwide. Her large-scale celestial public art installations have been commissioned in the UK and as far as the Middle East.

Recent works include The Opening (Lenticular), 2022 – four abstract paintings that encourage the viewer to step into the unknown and surrender themselves to a higher self. She says: “I love working in lenticular form as the art becomes kinetic and interactive. I wanted to explore the feeling of nothingness and transcendence through meditation. The Opening moves through light and colour with cosmic deep energy in an ever-evolving diamond form. It brings me a lot of joy to play with technology and art to convey this feeling of stillness and movement simultaneously.”

Letters To Nature has also seen her burnt scribbles recently transformed into hand-sewn sound-wave letters to nature, to portray the emotional impact of climate change. Baker adds: “During my 10 days of silence, I wrote and wrote. Pondering on existence and considering that which is beyond the self, climate change was on my mind. The letters were love letters, to earth, to the wilderness, to the sky and the ocean. The loss, the hopes and the dreams, all released, all let go in the process of writing and burning letters. I spoke the letters out loud and used software to translate them into sound waves. Once photographed, I burned each letter. I used unique threads to hand sew the sound waves to immortalise the energy of each letter. My work explores the fragility of life and new beginnings born from chaos and destruction. The letters weren’t meant to be sent. The energy of the writing was enough to express and let go. To let the ripples of the thoughts be free.”

In addition to presenting her new light art at London’s Box Galleries, Baker’s work is also currently being exhibited in Drang Gallery’s Padstow, Salcombe and Burford spaces. She is also preparing for an upcoming solo exhibition with Reem Gallery in London.

About the champion

The Wick - Noelle Reno, Courtesy of Noelle Reno

An experienced marketeer and business development strategist, Noelle Reno followed up working with leading brands including Four Seasons, Peroni, BBC World, Rosewood Hotels, and the Bicester Village Shopping Collection by becoming marketing director of Europe for Smart Media Labs. A leading voice within the crypto and NFT space, she regularly advises on Web2, Web2.5, and Web3 projects. She also recently received a First in blockchain strategy from Oxford University.

“Her art is really about how it makes you feel. I love how her work is something that can integrate with a home environment, which makes it so accessible”

Place of Birth

Middlesbrough, UK.

Education

I did a degree in business, psychology and sociology in Newcastle. After seven years in the corporate world, I suddenly became a self-taught full-time artist. About five years in, I studied site-specific sculpture. I’ve been an artist for just over 10 years.

Awards, Accolades

I won the Rise Art Prize ‘Artist To Watch’ Award, was included in GQ Magazine’s ‘Top Coolest List’ and was awarded the Orsoni Venice: ‘Masters In Mosaics’. I also won a commission to create two four-metre sculptures in a UNESCO-protected desert – making The Frequency Of The Sun, and The Frequency Of The Moon installations, working with Azimuth and MT Art.
I am a certified ‘creativity coach’ – I did this for self-study and it’s helpful for leading my team. I was also invited to give lectures at the Institute of Art and Ideas.

Current exhibitions

This week, I’m exhibiting new light art at Box Galleries in London, the show is titled Aglow.
My artwork is currently exhibited in Drang Gallery across its galleries in Padstow, Salcombe and Burford. I am also preparing for my next solo exhibition with Reem Gallery in London, and artworks for Volte Art Projects’ Dubai gallery.
I’m exhibiting lenticular work inspired by the cosmos via the Light Collective for a’ Women In Lighting’ exhibition at SoShiro Gallery this month.

Spiritual guides, Mentors

I have a powerful morning practice with meditation, journaling, and Kundalini yoga. Although my new puppy, PomPom, has been making my meditations more challenging.
I also have an incredible mentor – James Kelly – who managed one of the most famous male artists alive today (think spot paintings and crystal skulls). Having his expertise has been phenomenal, especially as I’ve been making large-scale outside installation works in the Middle East. I’m having to take extreme heat conditions into consideration, and James is a total pro and used to weird and wonderful problem-solving. He is great to bounce ideas with.

Advice

Make art that you are passionate about and speak about your art with passion. People respond to passion.
Take time alone to feed your inner artist. Take yourself on ‘artist dates’ – be in nature, go to exhibitions, stay open and curious. Read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.
Get a life coach, have a big blue-sky vision, make a plan and be accountable to the steps to action it.
Connect rather than schmooze. Every person you meet can have a gift or a lesson for you. Find the essence in every encounter.
Use technology such as apps and software to make your quest more efficient.
Listen to inspiring Audible books, podcasts and TED Talks to stay motivated and inspired by the likes of Steven Bartlett, Marie Forleo, Tony Robbins, Tim Ferriss, Adam Robinson and Ram Dass.
Celebrate success. Life is short, so drink champagne at openings and celebrate the creation of each piece.
Hold your vision strong – the art world is a weird and unregulated space and you’ll meet some charlatans along the way. Stay grateful, and the dream gets more beautiful.


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@laurenbakerart
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