Today, we’d like to introduce you to Lara Padilla.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was always connected to art from a very young age; I really liked dancing and painting; they are activities that I practiced throughout my childhood.
I have a memory of my first ballet class, I saw some very beautiful books with ballerinas with their points and their tutus, and I fell in love with dance. I went to classes for eight years, and in the end, I had to leave them for health reasons, so I focused on painting. I decided to pursue a degree in Fine Arts, and I spent my most fun and carefree years there.
Once I finished, I traveled to the US and spent long periods between Miami and NYC, soaking up the culture, art, and people. I learned a lot in every way, and when I was clear about what I wanted to do, I returned to Madrid and studied for a Master’s in Cinematography for Film. I spent a few years trying to enter that world, and in the end, I made the decision to focus on painting.
That’s how I found my studio, which I shared with three other artists, and I started producing work. I presented my works to a gallery in Barcelona, 3 Punts, and there they gave me my first opportunity within the gallery circuit. Shortly after exhibiting with them, I started working with another gallery in Santander and Madrid, Juan Silió Galería.
Little by little, I have continued to develop my style by painting every day. Now, I have the studio to myself, and I can continue growing as an artist and as a person.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
It has not been an easy path, especially because it has been very long. Many years have passed since I finished my degree to be able to live only from painting.
Right after the pandemic, I got my first opportunity with a gallery. Until then, I had to work for ten years in reception, plus many other jobs, to be able to sustain the creation of work in parallel. What has been most difficult for me is emotionally holding on for the necessary time until that opportunity came.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Trained in Fine Arts, Film Photography, and Dance, I am a multidisciplinary artist who expresses myself through very different formats such as painting, video art, performance, body action, or clothing design.
Since my first interventions in public spaces, painting walls and doing performances both in Spain and in Miami, I have been creating my own fresh and fun style that is reflective, conscious and committed at the same time. Action art, reinforced by my condition as a lover of dance full of vitality, has a lot of weight in my creations, as well as a very clear idea of the ideas and values that concern me and that I am interested in transmitting.
My work is articulated through three fundamental concepts that are the basis of my work: the theme of the body -always present-, movement as an essential impulse, and the representation of women who, as a fundamental pillar of society, star in most of his work. I specialize in painting, and I think that what sets me apart from others is my personal style and the way I combine that with other disciplines.
So maybe we end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
What matters most to me is being healthy, myself, and my loved ones.
The second most important priority for me is to wake up every day with the hope of building something I love, feeling that I am growing and evolving every day in my mission, and always trying to be a little better.
The third most important priority for me is love, surrounding myself with people who love me and whom I adore, and building beautiful relationships.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://srad.wtf/en/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larapadilla/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lara.padillalopez/?locale=es_LA
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lara-padilla-03602778/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPtJ_dtAqm4dJidYPEd9AwA
Image Credits
@pattsphoto and @mcondesa
