Bio

Laura Van Duren is an interdisciplinarity artist based in Oakland, California. Her abstract work is often a combination of drawing, ceramics, glycerin soap, found objects and fabric. Her recent work employs an energetic color palette of ceramic sculptures that explores how play can be used as an act of resistance asserting the importance of joy, community, and self-expression in the face of oppressive systems. She is one of the founding members of Mercury 20 Gallery, situated in the heart of Oakland’s art scene. She works with the Peter Voulkos family helping to manage the archival aspect of his collection which has had a profound influence on her practice. She is an adjunct professor teaching ceramics and sculpture at multiple community colleges. Her recent exhibitions in the San Francisco Bay Area include the Sonoma Museum of Art, Southern Exposure, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art and the Berkeley Art Center; she was also awarded an Open Studio residency at Haystack in Maine in 2023. Van Duren received her BFA in drawing from Carnegie Mellon University and completed her MFA in sculpture at San Francisco State University in 2017.