Laura C Vela

@lauracvela

Photographer based in Madrid, whose work is founded on a theoretical discourse, always Ediciones Comisura, in charge of independent publications such as Esto es un cuerpo which studies the enjoyment of the senses and corporeality through literary texts and photography.

Laura has an extensive background in creative development and a notorious search for beauty in the everyday, in the things that are in our immediate surroundings. Engaging in conversation with her allows us to access a world where the ordinary proves the essential, where simple and, at the same time, very grounded realities coexist.

How would you describe your art?

I am interested in people and theirs belonging to a particular place, or rather their desire to belong. Everything about social relationships and personal journeys... I think the most important pursuit is to find ourselves and to create a home.

Formally, for my personal projects, I choose the small. I like to keep things simple and play with details. My photos, rather than alone, make sense as a group. When I take them I think about how they are going to relate to each other. For me what is more important is coherence, what we communicate, what is created by editing and sequencing, than the photo itself. I think that's why I decided to become an editor. On the other hand, lately, I've been interested in going back to the collective, to group creations.

I make personal projects in film because I like slow time and the tangible. I tend to experiment with different cameras, with different lenses. This helps me as a personal exercise to work on patience, as I'm a bit nervous and, through the photographic process, I allow myself to calm down.

What does inspire you?

I studied photography and philosophy, and the last one had a direct impact on my discourse. I became interested in existentialism when I was younger and, as I have grown older, I have drawn strong references from Asian philosophy. The university gave me the opportunity to have access to certain documents and debates that influenced my creative career.

Generally, I don't rely on other photographers but am inspired by film, music or literature.

What is being a woman for you?

Being a woman means carrying a certain number of burdens, expectations, a series of standards or stereotypes that force us to fulfil the norm of what is feminine. This has had an impact on my personal formation and has even brought about a sense of trauma, as I have always felt that I was going against the current, that I had a discourse to which I had to conform and I could not. Basically, I identify myself as a human being. I am not interested in considering that being a woman gives me specific characteristics.

What do you celebrate about being a woman?

I think there is a harmful character to the fact that we women have had to create a community of support among ourselves. Sexual segregation is still very much a reality today and it saddens me that I can't, for example, work with men because I find them much more individualistic and I don't find refuge.

I celebrate being a woman because I was born a woman. I celebrate the sisterhood, the mutual support.

How do you feel about being a woman in the art industry?

I have always been more around men on a professional level, as I belong to a very masculine profession and, when I started to feel more of a female presence, I started to work more horizontally. I have also received a lot of judgement due to the fact that as a young woman leading various projects, I have been immersed in levels of mistrust and hostility.

In my publication Esto es un cuerpo there is a greater participation of women and we have received comments describing it as a "women's magazine". I feel that, in contrast, when the percentage is mostly male, it would never be referred to as a "men's magazine". I find these details frustrating and they greatly interfere with our development towards equality.

Photos by Mercedes Polo Portillo ©