Lara Bongard (1995, NL) is an artist, cook and writer. Through a multi-disciplinary practice that moves in-between creative writing, cooking, photography, textile design and publishing, her work illuminates hidden stories of cultural erasure and ‘placeless’ migratory identities. Exploring the feeling of belonging nowhere and everywhere, at the same time. Via transhistorical research—working with archives, historical sources, ancestral stories, mythology and tales—she merges and fuses ancient narratives and symbolisms to create new stories, images and rituals.
Lara’s work aims to challenge our relationship to the past and acknowledge the multiplicity of stories and histories that constitute our identity. By seeing ourselves and each other in our plurality, we can move beyond a singular perception of a person or a culture, and start building bridges. Through reimagining the past, present and future, while working with personal stories as connecting factors, she creates spaces where people can look at the meaning of being uprooted and feeling at home from new perspectives. Lara uses colour in a tactile language of word and image to touch on delicate issues, break stigmas and weave together connections.
Lara Bongard holds a BA and MA in Visual Arts from LUCA School of Arts in Ghent, Belgium. Next to her practice, Lara works both in creative direction and in food, as well as writing for various publications like METAL and MOLD magazine. Lara organises food events, self-publishes magazines and books and has participated in various group and solo shows.
