BIOGRAPHY

I am Laura D. Kelemen, a Hungarian maker and artist. I collect stories through my own experiences and encounters. My work bases itself on and often consists of socially engaged projects and works its way through research, experience and creation. I express my social engagement through writing, illustration and film.​

My critical thinking is influenced by growing up in an illiberal democracy. From an early age on I have had felt the urge to be the maker of things, but I was discouraged to create with the help of art. Where I come from, art is an undervalued part of life, and to build dreams upon it seemed surreal for everyone around me, therefore I first started studying the fields of politics and law. I wanted to understand the rules of the world we live in. When it comes down to life, I feel like we are forced to live in a manmade society from which we cannot escape from. 

I moved to the Netherlands in 2018 and I at once started questioning the differences between Hungary and the Netherlands. Through my artistic practice I aim to make my audience aware of the illiberal democratic state I come from, and the imbalanced economic and cultural union we live in which drives increasingly more people away.