Lajubu: Laura Buitrago

To describe Laura “Lajubu” Buitrago, in a nutshell, seems nearly impossible. Just when you think you have an idea of who she is, Laura reveals another layer to her story. This was perfectly exemplified during our interview process with her for the premiere installation of OYSTER & PEARL. Laura is a very warm and loving person who seems willing to open her heart to anyone who deserves it. She recalls not always being like that, however. In her earlier years, she describes herself as angsty, having to cope with life's curveballs and feeling unequipped to do so.

Laura has lived various lives professionally, getting her start in big-name brands such as Fendi and Versace. This experience shines through to this day with her attention to detail and personal style. She explained that this profession afforded her the ability to travel a lot, and therefore got to experience different cultures and life philosophies, allowing her to gain perspective early on.

She herself hails from Colombia, with her family moving to the States when she was a kid. She remains close to her heritage but shared that since she was little, she also had a deep passion for France and French culture. Eventually, she even learned French and moved to Lille, France. Later on, she moved to Madrid, Spain to pursue a Master’s degree in International Development.

Laura highlights her naiveté in wanting to take on the world and change it for the better by pursuing that degree. Unfortunately, she quickly met deep disappointment when she uncovered harsh realities while writing her thesis. She was investigating the lack of lineage between the practice and theory of ethical standards. Laura interviewed top professionals in the field from around the world – some really huge names - and it broke her heart to find a similar answer across the board: “It’s virtually impossible to stick to the best practices because there’s always someone above you with ulterior motives, both political and monetary.” She is sure there are organizations out there with more transparent practices, but the consensus was discouraging.

This was hard for Laura to grapple with. Here she was with an M.A. in something that she could no longer pursue a profession in if she wanted to maintain true to herself. This was not the world she thought it was. The one thing she found solace in was art and tapping into her creativity. She decided to focus on her own healing through art and came to understand the powerful tool it became for people that were touched by her work.

Now we finally get to touch on her artistic streak. Laura says she’s always been sketching and making things but never took her art seriously as a career. In Madrid, she would take sketch classes for fun and immerse herself in the local art scene, which she states is vibrant and inspiring to this day.

Laura moved back to Florida right before the pandemic, and like most of us, she had to really look at herself in the mirror. Lockdown forced her to take a closer look at her mental health, which ultimately became the inspiration for her work. She firmly believes that suppressing, rejecting, or having shame in parts of ourselves are some of the main causes behind depression. By finding ways to interpret that relationship, her art became a source for healing.

Once she began posting her work on social media, Laura quickly found a network of support for her work and patrons who often purchased more than one of her pieces.  Her current collection is based on the relationship between us and our demons - except she doesn’t call them demons, but instead refers to them as parts of ourselves that need us. She’s proud to say that she’s now a full-time artist. In her words, “...everything I’ve done, I’ve had to do to get me to this point. I’ve needed to experience all the things I’ve experienced to finally recognize myself as an artist at the age of 29. Not before that.”

See Laura’s latest work:

https://www.lajubuart.com/acknowledgment-collection

Instagram: @lajubuart