Interview: Laurry Ramirez Gallardo
Luca Curci talks with Laurry Ramirez Gallardo during the 22nd edition of VENICE INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR 2025 at Palazzo Albrizzi-Capello in Venice.

Laurry Ramirez Gallardo was born in Valparaíso, Chile, in 1971. She studied at the Nordic Design School in Borås and later specialised in Photography at Sörängens Folkhögskola in Nässjö, Sweden. She is currently based in Gothenburg, where she works as a freelance photographer and designer from her studio located on Ringön, Hisingen. Driven by a deep curiosity and a desire to explore the world, Laurry often travels to remote and unconventional places in search of inspiration. Her work develops around conceptual explorations, where she experiments with fragments of life events, cultures, and landscapes encountered during her journeys. A strong aesthetic sensibility lies at the core of her artistic practice. She describes her works as experiments, marked by an investigative approach that embraces intuition, chance, and emotional energy. Whether representational or abstract, her photography moves in the borderland between reality and imagination, where the visible meets the subconscious. Laurry often manages multiple projects simultaneously, a dynamic that fuels her creative flow and enriches her process. Alongside photography, she draws inspiration from surrealist painting, architecture, and cinema, particularly in her use of light and color to construct atmospheres that transport the viewer into another dimension. Her professional work includes portrait, music, and dance photography, as well as design projects, primarily within the fashion industry, where she collaborates on commissioned works.

Luca Curci – How did you get into photography? Do you remember why you took your first
professional photo?
Laurry Ramirez Gallardo – My interest in photography was sparked by my grandmother, who was always
taking pictures of everything and everyone. For me, the camera became a time machine that helped me get back to important moments in life. I took my first professional photos when I travelled to Bangladesh with my design work at the time. I visited the factories where we had production, and the assignment was to document the production and the workers. I fell in love with it, and I continued for years after.

LC – When did you realize that photography could also be a life lens?
LRG – In my childhood, I understood that photography would be my way of visualizing what I could not say in words. I was a very shy girl and having a camera made me feel more confident. I could connect with people without being too close.

LC – What do you think about art on social media? Are they turning into the new showcases of contemporary art?
LRG – I think it’s a medium through which you can connect directly with a new kind of viewer. Social media is today like a business card, where the viewer can quickly and easily get an idea of what kind of art you are doing. Still, I think it’s a compliment and can never replace seeing art live and in person.

LC – Where do you find your inspiration?
LRG – I find inspiration in movies, music, books, but above all in my childhood, life experiences, and traveling. From a very young age, I dreamed of travelling to places I didn’t even know existed, but which I wanted to explore. Even today, the stories and films of great explorers provide me with great inspiration.

LC – Did your style change over the years? In which way?
LRG – Absolutely, starting with a documentary style, I then continued moving through different styles. Each stage has its natural development, but it always left me with a desire for something more, like something was missing. As the years went by, and with a constant desire to travel to remote places and a deep interest in surrealist art, I began a visual search and exploration of places that exist between the real world and in my subconscious.

LC – What do you think about the concept of this exhibition? How did it inspire you?
LRG – I like the concept of the connection between the body and space because I feel there’s so much to explore. It’s very interesting to observe and see how different artists interpret the subject matter, and it provides a lot of inspiration. It inspires me because it’s exactly what I seek in my own photographic exploration: a space between who we are and our surroundings.

LC – Can you explain something about the artworks you have in our exhibition?
LRG – It all began with a trip to Chile to find my father, whom I’d never met. It was an intense two-day encounter, and I felt a strong need to visit the areas where my parents had me when I was a baby: The northern part of Chile, which at that time was a distant and unknown region. On that trip, I knew I wanted to photographically visualise the magnitude of feelings that live within me, and the urge to face them myself. That’s where ”The inner desert” was born. The inner desert landscape symbolises a place of emptiness, thirst, and stillness – where emotions can feel parched, and life force weak. It can be a period in life when inspiration has died, relationships feel distant, and one wanders alone through vast spaces without a clear direction. But the desert is also a place of purification and clarity. In its silence, we can hear our innermost voice. Beneath the dry surface lies the possibility of transformation, like a seed waiting for the rain.

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
LRG – I believe ITSLIQUID GROUP offers excellent international visibility. In addition to providing professional guidance, they are experts in their field.

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us? What do you think about our services?
LRG – Absolutely! I think collaborating with ITSLIQUID GROUP is a great way to gain international recognition, while also following your artistic development. I’m grateful for the way they’ve guided me professionally.