Lauren Napolitano is a self-taught contemporary folk artist, born in California and currently based in Austin, TX.  She works in ceramic, painting, murals + public based art, tattooing, and illustration, with most of these processes inspired by ancestry and travel. Napolitano has shown extensively throughout the United States (Major US cities: NYC, LA, Denver, Miami (Art Basel), New Orleans, San Francisco, & Austin) and internationally (Mexico, Spain, England, Portugal, Nepal). Notable collaborations with Burton snowboards, Creator of POW! WOW! Nepal, a mural commission at World Trade Center, and 1xRun.

“My work is about celebrating the handmade and the imperfections that come along with it. I am incredibly influenced by my mother’s Mexican heritage and I lean heavily on these ancestors as I create and gather inspiration. Much of what I create falls between the themes of being surrounded/supported or the symbiotic energy/movement between every living organism. Earth and sky, life and death, love and sorrow, I explore these connections through invented + inspired patterns and symbolism in order to find balance, growth and healing. Tattooing gives me an opportunity to go deeper with those who connect to my work. We are able to sit and exchange stories, or silence, and we have a image that imprints this moment for the rest of their life.”