Anna Laurini the artist whose faces are all around London

You can’t fail to notice Anna Laurini’s abstract faces. Peering out of doorways, on the sides of lampposts and on the hoardings of building sites her work is instantly recognisable.

She doesn’t describe herself as a street artist, rather an artist that likes to paint on the streets. Describing her street work as more of a release from the time spent in the studio and even as an addiction. She talks about getting on her bike, cycling around and seeing what canvas might be available to once again display her work to the public.

Anna Laurini

Laurini is a fine artist. Her studio is packed full of canvasses, works finished and unfinished. In every part there is a sketch or a painting. A pile of stickers by the sink, a desk crammed full with doodles and a whole array of paint pots. By the bay window, potted plants are there but still surrounded with those abstract faces.

From Italy originally, Laurini spent time between New York and London before settling. Now firmly rooted in the city, she has steadily been making a name for herself with interest in her work growing particularly from within the world of fashion. This includes a recent collaboration with Japanese label ‘Black by Moussy’. “It’s surprised me how popular my work has been in fashion terms,” she told Vogue in a recent interview. “I never expected it.”

Faces on the Street

The street work is what she really credits though with getting her style and her name out there. The majority of her pieces can be found in the areas around Shoreditch and Soho. “Somehow I just started and never stopped” she tells me “it was kind of spontaneous and now it’s just one of my addictions.”

Anna’s inspirations meanwhile are more internal. Describing herself as being more inspired by people and not by art. She talks about the people she meets and the energy and vibes of a place as being most important to her as well as just that feeling of taking a walk out and getting that inspirational buzz.

The Face

Certainly she feels that her work reflects what people see in themselves. Some look at her art and maybe recognise themselves, their friends, family or even maybe their lovers. “This face is kind of like becoming a face of everyone and no-one in particular” she says.

Indeed it’s a face which can be seen everywhere. Sometimes painted large, sometimes painted small and drawn onto the page of an old book. It’s a face that we’ve certainly noticed ever since we started covering the London street art scene. In fact, for the time being at least, it’s a face that has become pretty much synonymous with the London street art scene itself.

Anna Laurini was interviewed in her studio in Finsbury Park on 28 December 2017. The full interview with Anna can be watched on our youtube channel.

---

Anna Laurini Gallery

For more Inspiring City articles you might like take a look at…

• Where to find the Best Street Art in London
• A Guide to Street Art in Brick Lane