Laura Aguilar

Laura Aguilar

b. 1959, San Gabriel, California
d. 2018, Los Angeles

Laura Aguilar spent most of her prolific career examining her identity as a Chicana lesbian artist. After studying photography at East Los Angeles College, her production in her early career was characterized by portraits of diverse communities in the Los Angeles area and self-portraits, which are representations of herself as a complex individual: Chicana, lesbian, and struggling with learning disabilities and depression. Later she would incorporate nude self-portraits and nude portraits of other women into her work, challenging contemporary depictions of beauty and highlighting the intimacy between the female form and nature. Her photographs first expose the visibility of these underrepresented and marginalized women, then celebrate them. Aguilar died at age 58, when recognition of her work was gaining momentum. Since her passing, she has joined the ranks of other iconic female photographers. Among her many notable exhibitions are her participation in the 45th Venice Biennale (1993), The Huntington Library Art Collections (2008), The National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, (2010) and her solo exhibition, Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell at The Vincent Price Art Museum, Los Angeles (2017–18).

Laura Aguilar, Stillness #37, 1996. Gelatin Silver print, 11 x 14 inches. Courtesy of the Laura Aguilar Trust of 2016