Katrina Larida exhibited her work at Lamb: "I use my art as an outlet"
2022-02-11
Katrina Larida is an artist and fashion designer based in Stockholm, Sweden. She has exhibited her work at Artportable and last week she hosted an event at the co-working space Lamb.
Originally from the Philippines, Katrina Larida began her training as a portrait artist when she was 16, sketching portraits of passersby at the shopping mall. In 2016 she got in at Parsons School of Design in New York where she lived for two years, developing her knowledge of Color Theory and adapted what she learnt into her art. Katrina has exhibited her work at Artportable recently and last week she hosted an event at the co-working space Lamb.
How come you had an event at Lamb?
– When I exhibited my art at Artportable the space manager of Lamb visited and asked if I wanted to hang my artworks there. Since I had already tried to contact Lamb to ask if I could host an event there it all fell to place naturally. My PR-agent invited Jenny Ivarsson, a champagne connoisseuse and Erik Haeffler from Conveija to hold a tasting event at the start of the evening. It was an intimate crowd and after the tasting concluded we went down to the studio to immerse my guests in my paintings as I talked about my inspirations and what the paintings meant to me as an artist.
How would you describe your artistry?
– I am influenced by pop culture and fashion. To this exhibition I created six new paintings where I wanted to show something about the unspoken things that we are afraid to convey to other people. We all have a lot of thoughts and emotions that we don’t show because we are afraid to be misunderstood. We want to be diplomatic and don’t want to bother our friends and family with our struggle. I want my art to connect with my viewers. At this exhibition I felt that each person who visited had their own favorite piece, there was not one masterpiece, but everyone had their own painting which spoke to them.
Where do you find your inspiration?
– I get my inspiration from personal experience. I like to observe, I am a very observant person and I like to analyze the world around me. I am very fascinated about the human expression. My art is also a way of expressing my opinion. I have a strong point of view when it comes to plastics and how bad it is to our ecosystem, and I want to express that passion in my art and generate awareness of the issue. I also got a lot of influence from living In New York. I was very stimulated because I saw art everywhere I went when I studied at Parsons; all the art that converges in that space and all the designers. I also find inspiration in my own pain because whenever I am in that position, I tend to analyze everything. This year when we have all been isolated, I have been working alone a lot and that brought out a lot of feelings that were hard to process. I used all the feelings that came from that to create. During his time, I also started my own brand as a fashion designer. I think understanding the source of pain is the key to healing and I use my art as an outlet.
Can you describe your creative process?
– Normally I start with an idea. I then start looking for reference photos and put them together in a board. Then I keep on collecting photos that inspire me and then I marinate on the feeling. When I have decided which way to go, I put all reference photos together and I choose a color scheme. In this series I use grey for example. Then I start sketching with a pencil before I start painting. And since I am influenced by pop culture, I also look at trends. When I get stuck, I do other things to come back with a fresh mind. I really like working at night when it is dark and quiet.
What motivates you?
– I can’t put my finger on it. Perhaps art is a way for me to share myself and to be able to connect with others. I am something of an introvert and I think my art is a way to connect to others on a deeper level. But in a safe way.
What are your plans for the future?
– I am thinking of ways to make my art more accessible to many people. I have also started thinking about NFT:s. I don’t know how to do it yet but I am researching it. I would also like to integrate my art and my fashion, so I am exploring a lot of ideas on how to do that. I also got invited to an exhibition in Rome. They found me on Instagram – isn’t it cool, social media? You can be discovered by anyone in the world.
Matilda Wirström
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