Current
Contextile Biennial Artist Residency, Portugal (September - October 2024)
Recent
Izmir Mediterranean Biennial, Kültürpark Atlas Pavilion, Izmir, Turkey (23rd January - 11th March 2024)
maltabiennale.art 2024, Granaries St. Elmo, Valletta, Malta (12th March - 31st May 2024)
IAM Contemporary presents L-GĦARAJJEX curated by Aidan Celeste: Artist Talk (11th October, 2023)
IAM Contemporary presents L-GĦARAJJEX curated by Aidan Celeste (22nd September - November, 2023)
Izmir Mediterranean Biennial Artist-In-Residence Programme, Izmir, Turkey (11th - 20th September 2023)
R Gallery: Far Reach, MaHalla, Berlin (13th - 17th September, 2023)
“In/visible” exhibition at Cité internationale des arts, Paris. Curated by Philipp Lange. Participating artists: Laura Besançon, Luki von der Gracht, Judith Kakon, Manuel Mathieu, Letizia Romanini (Opening 26th October 2022 - February 2023)
Open Studios at Cité internationale des arts, Paris (21st December, 2022 6-9pm) view
Artist Residency at Cité internationale des arts, Paris. Winner of the Institut Français residency program at the Cité internationale des arts with the support of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture & Ambassade de France à Malte (October 2022 - January 2023) view
Playscape Lead Artist, The School Playscapes project, Gzira Primary School. Permanent Play Installation in the school yard. This project is supported by the Arts Education scheme of the Arts Council Malta, and is implemented in collaboration with the Horizon 2020 funded VARCITIES project (2020-2022) view / view
Publication: Alone, Together (2018-) Documentation of a Participatory Work. This Publications provides context, documentation and insight into the participatory project “Along, Together” developed by Laura Besançon and activated by residents of different buildings in different cities from 2018 onwards. It includes different anecdotes and forms of communication before, during and after the individual happenings. Supported by Arts Council Malta.
Future Nostalgia FM, Futurology Kiosk 8, Kiosk 6, Sophienstiftplatz, Weimar, Germany & online (16th June - 5th July 2022) view
Artist Residency at ZK/U Berlin, Berlin. Supported by Arts Council Malta (1st March - 31st May 2022) view
ZK/U OPENHAUS, Berlin, Germany (19th May, 2022) view
Alone, Together - Typ Berlin (4th May - 11th May 2022) participatory live works with residents living in various Berlin tower blocks as part of the ongoing project “Alone, Together” (2018-)
ZK/U OPENHAUS, Berlin, Germany (24th March, 2022) view
Night of Ideas: Creating Together / La Nuit des Idées: (Re)construire ensemble, Spazju Kreattiv, Malta (Discussion on 12th March, Exhibition: Friday 11th March - Sunday 10th April 2022) view
Artist Residency with YUNIS as part of the Night of Ideas, Spazju Kreattiv, Malta (January 2022). This project is supported by the French Embassy in Malta and the French Alliance in Malta.
The Next Thing Moving Image Award 2021 (Finalist), Moving Image Gallery, Bury Art Museum and Sculpture Center, Bury, UK (30th November - January 22nd 2022)
Infrastructures of Care (2021) A photographic and sculptural public art installation by Laura Besançon for FUSE, Valletta Design Cluster, Malta curated by Elyse Tonna (30th April - July 2021)
Playful Futures, Valletta Contemporary, Malta (30th April - 6th June 2021)
Aesthetica Art Prize 2020 Exhibition (Finalist), York Art Gallery, York, UK (2020-2021)
News/Publication
Izmir Biennial Feature: “Aynı sudan sanata yansımalar”, (Akşam Newspaper) view / view
A Flow of Ideas (Times of Malta, 10 July 2022) view
Playful Greenery coming to Gzira Primary School view
Creativity in a Concrete Jungle (Think Magazine, Malta) view
Valletta Contemporary Artist Interview: Laura Besançon interviewed by Ann Dingli view
Playful Subversion (Times of Malta, Sunday 16th May 2021 issue, print and online) view
Playful Futures with Artist Laura Besançon (MaltaToday, Sunday 16th May 2021 issue, print and online) view
York St. Peter’s Drama School Performance inspired by “Alone, Together” by Laura Besancon view
Living Room: If I woke up one day with Laura Besançon (Manifattura Tabbacchi, online commission and interview) view
ArtConnect Berlin: Notion of Connectivity with Laura Besançon view
ArtConnect Berlin x Studio Uncoated view
Future Now 2020 Anthology view
Aesthetica Magazine Issue 93 Feb/March: Aesthetica Art Prize 2020 Shortlist (Print)
Aesthetica Art Prize Shortlist 2020 (Aesthetica)/ Future Greats: Laura Besançon view/view
Future Greats: Aesthetica Art Prize 2020 (York Museums Trust) view
Film round up: The best film events in Manchester in February (Manchester Wire) view
Source Graduate Photography Online 2019 (Source - Thinking Through Photography) view
RCA Photography 2019: A selection from the RCA Graduate Show (Vogue) view
Royal College of Art: Laura Besançon - Towards an Urban Praxis (Royal College of Art) view/view
2019 MTV RE:DEFINE Award Presented by the Goss-Michael Foundation: 2019 Award Finalists announced (The Goss-Michael Foundation) view
Imagination and Brave Acts: Arts & Humanities Work-in-progress 2018 (Royal College of Art) view
Education
MA Photography, Royal College of Art, London, UK (2017-2019)
Bachelor (Hons) Communications & Psychology, University of Malta (2011-2015)
Bio
Laura Besançon (b:1993, Malta) is a Maltese artist.
During her undergraduate degree in Communications and Psychology at the University of Malta, Laura began to turn towards an artistic approach in researching her fields of studies. In 2017-2019 she pursued an MA Photography degree at the Royal College of Art where she developed a multifaceted practice.
Central to Laura’s practice are notions of play, connectivity and place explored through a playful approach which often utilises various communication tools as part of the process. She is also interested in turning things around through appropriation, reconfiguration, shifting perspectives and playful action.
She was a finalist for the 2019 MTV RE:DEFINE Award by the Goss-Michael Foundation and recently, the 2020 Aesthetica Art Prize and the 2021 Next Thing Moving Image Award with her participatory project “Alone, Together” (2018- ongoing).
Laura was an artist-in-residence at ZK/U Center of Art and Urbanistics in Berlin (March-May 2022), Cite Internationale des Arts in Paris (Institut Francais Residency Program x Cite des arts) (October - January 2023) and recently exhibited as part of the Izmir Mediterranean Biennial 2024 and maltabiennale.art 2024. In September 2024 she will be part of the Contextile Biennial’s residency program.