Artist Statement + Biography

As science, technology, and digital media continue to influence the trajectory of contemporary art, my practice addresses the space where simulated abstraction becomes hyperreality, referencing a dimension beyond our three. In painting and electronic media, theoretical yet physically incongruous forms are rendered, derived using various digital and design technologies. The result is trompe-l'œil of a subject not of our known physical world, aligning the theosophy of abstraction with the worship of the illuminated screen.

Laura Payne (b. 1987, Ottawa) is a Canadian visual artist working in painting, sculpture, and electronic media. She received her BFA from the University of Western Ontario (London ON) and her MFA from the Mount Royal School of Art at MICA (Baltimore MD). Payne has received financial support from SK Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts, for various projects. She was a finalist for the RBC Canadian Painting Competition in 2017, and the recipient of a Saskatchewan Foundations for the Arts Award in 2018. Payne has participated in exhibitions in Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Baltimore, New York, Los Angeles, and Washington DC. She is commercially represented by Galerie Robertson Ares (Montreal) and Slate Fine Art Gallery (Regina). Payne currently resides in Okotoks, Alberta.