Laura Xenopol (b. 1999, Romania) is a multidisciplinary artist and researcher living and working in Abu Dhabi. Her work features an evolving system of symbols that emerge through an intuitive, automatic process, manifesting in paintings, drawings, and site-specific installations. Xenopol investigates this mental process, which she likens to an aperture that adjusts to allow new perceptions of the unseen.
The resulting pieces are a visual language of archetypes. Painted on canvas or shaped onto wax in rectangular and spherical sculptures, lively colors depict celestial symbols, hands, and spirals. Felines, footprints, and snakes equally inhabit the works, along with a distinct leopard print that grounds these latent symbols in a primal, immutable reality.
Her research bridges archaeological references, personal experience, and a holistic understanding of knowledge to shape a space for contemplation. Within this space, she examines the fundamental nature of information linking collective consciousness across time, culture, and geography.
Passionate about tackling questions of culture and heritage, Xenopol has specialized in Heritage Studies and holds a BA in Art and Art History from New York University Abu Dhabi. She has exhibited at NYUAD’s Project Space (2022), is a recipient of the Art Circle Award (2024) and has been shortlisted for the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award (2025). She currently drives research & development strategies at Bayt AlMamzar.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS & COMMISSIONS
421 (2024) Abu Dhabi, UAERecipient of The Art Circle Award.
Etihad Airways (2022) No.1-No.15 (2022) – a painting installation commissioned by Etihad Airways for its headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
The Project Space at NYU Abu Dhabi (2022)
New Land Old Waters (2022), an installation comprising painting, sculpture, and site-specific interventions which delves into the intersection of nature, spirituality, and the collective human experience.
PUBLICATIONS
"The Golden Hill: Who Owns Roșia Montană?" in Future Stories in the Global Heritage Industry, edited by Alia Yunis, Robert Parthesius, NiccolòAcram Cappelletto.
Routledge, 2024.