Laura Põld (b. 1984) is working in interdisciplinary crafts and sculpture-based practice. The artist continuously explores environmental history, fundamental human and more-than-human skills and needs. In her work, she focuses on her choice of materials and their historical and political context, implementing traditional crafts and building techniques in ceramics and tufting, which interest her as preservation of stories, memory and skills. Her often large-scale constructions or installations either take over or interfere with the allocated venue and/or its context.
Laura Põld studied ceramics at the Estonian Academy of Arts (BA), painting at the University of Tartu (MA) and sculptural conceptions and ceramics at the University of Art and Design Linz (MA). Laura Põld has been awarded a number of prizes and scholarships such as the annual prize of The Cultural Endowment of Estonia (2014), Köler Prize Grand Prix (2016), the grand prize of The Cultural Endowment of Estonia (2018), the ISCP New York studio grant (2019) and the Claus Michaletz Preis (2021). The artist is currently based in Tallinn and Vienna.