| ARTIST BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Born in London, England, Laara Cassells came to Alberta in 1985. As a professional set and costume designer, Laara worked with a variety of theatre, ballet, opera and film companies throughout Canada and Europe before deciding to focus her attention on fine art.
Through paintings, drawings and sculpture, Laara juxtaposes contemporary culture with tradition, comments on technology and the modern concepts of beauty, and investigates what effects these issues have on the public. She challenges the viewer to think about their preconceptions and look closer at their own interaction with the subjects of her work.
Laara has a Diploma in Fine Art from the Capilano College in North Vancouver; a Diploma in Sculpture from Emily Carr College of Art in Vancouver; a Master of Fine Art in Sculpture from the Cranborook Academy of Art in Michigan; and a Master of Fine Art in Set and Costume Design from the University of Calgary. Laara has received a variety of scholarships, grants and awards, including receiving the Award of Excellence from the Manhattan Arts International, New York in 2000, the Michigan Foundation for the Arts Award in 1981, the Helen Pitt Award in 1979 and 1980, the Emily Carr College of Art Merit Award in 1980 and the Governor General’s Silver Medal for Academic Excellence in 1978.
Laara’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Canada, and in Hungary, South Korea, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium and Poland. Her work is held in private and public collections in Belgium, Germany, Hungary, South Korea and Canada.
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