Balancing Act (Framed)

Laura Vargas Llanas is a Seville-based artist working under the creative name of “Kanica”. Laura’s background was rooted in art history, training in the commercial art world before becoming a fine artist. She graduated from The American University of Paris and Christie’s Education London with a degree in History of Modern and Contemporary Art and has previously worked at Christie’s, Carpenters Workshop Gallery and various leading art institutions. It was this art historical background which led to her becoming an artist. 

She says: “While studying history of art I discovered the work of Anni Albers and the weavers of the Bauhaus School, with their belief that every craft object has the potential to be art. I then discovered the work of contemporary fibre artist Sheila Hicks and I was completely drawn to her transformations of textiles into works of art. I wanted to explore those notions myself and translate them into my own vocabulary, with a focus on decorative design.”

Laura is perhaps best-known for her hand-embroidered canvases that embrace and revisit artisanal weaving techniques with a strong design aesthetic. Each embroidered piece is handcrafted in her studio using natural and ethically sourced yarns such as merino and alpaca wool, cotton and jute. She has also more recently created a collection of ceramics which were inspired by lockdown and her Spanish heritage. These “Amphoras” are terracotta vases created in collaboration with an artisan in the South of Spain, which Laura then paints - using the vessel as her canvas.