Painter and street artist Anna Laurini leaves no space uncovered. Ebbing tides of her creative impulse fuel and motivate her unstoppable addiction to reinterpret the city as her canvas, with her Picasso-esque profiles becoming an unmissable trademark throughout the streets of London, Paris and New York. Boldly reinventing and infusing cubism with new meaning, Laurini gives life to her iconic face, mirrored star crossed lovers, pouting lips, seductive eyes that wink behind tousled hair, and strike attention. Using her art as a vehicle to stimulate the subconscious and evoke the senses, think outwardly, explore one’s inner emotions, all with the city skyline as her backdrop - Laurini's work is as poetic as it is provocative.
There isn't a day that goes by when I’m not painting something on the street.
I painted my first piece of street art in Shoreditch three years ago. I thought because I was a painter and didn’t belong to a graffiti background it wouldn’t fit my style - I still use paint brushes for all of my graffiti, I’ve never used a spray can! From the very first time I did it, it really became an addiction to me.. It was so thrilling and intoxicating, especially in cities like New York where you have to be so quick.
It feels nice to know that often when people see this girl I paint, they can relate or recognize apart themselves in her.
Maybe she reminds them of something or someone. She’s been with me ever since I started to paint. I started with a scribble and I didn't question why or how or who she was - I just did it. She’s only a few lines but it comes out very strong, and I love because of that she could be anyone, yet also no one in particular.
Listening to The Doors always inspires me.
My studio is never quiet, there’s always music playing in the background from Miles Davis, sixties jazz to Piazzolla. I was really influenced by the Doors from a young age so I listen to them a lot. Growing up in Italy, I became fascinated with Jim Morrison and how striking his lyrics are. In fact, I use many of their lyrics in my paintings.
The vibe and creative atmosphere of London is perfect for me.
I prefer big cities like Paris, New York and London to those in Italy because there’s a challenge to them but I love the diversity of London especially. I never get bored of it. Everywhere I look, there’s a canvas to paint of something or someone to be inspired by. The scent of pink fluoro acrylic paint reminds me of my work wherever I am. It’s maybe not the most beautiful smell for everyone but when I smell it, I feel at home.
Fornasetti the iconic Italian designer who repeated 350 interpretations of the same girl once said “When an object is good, why not repeat it dozens of times. It will not lose anything”
I know this is true for some of my work, but there are sometimes certain ones that are so different from the others and I will never be able to repeat them. There’s only a few that are a challenge and that’s because I know the way they came out is very unique. My piece “Stay Pure” is an example of this. For this piece, I used my favourite Cyan Blue paint which is a very specific metallic paint that I can only buy from a place in Italy as they don’t sell it anywhere else in the world.