Since 1992, the artist has also taught at many higher education institutions in Germany, USA and Jordan, including the
Bauhaus-Universität in Weimar, Hochschule für Gestaltung, Offenbach, Paderborn University,
Drexel University and in the Theater, Film and Media Studies Department at the
Goethe-University in Frankfurt am Main. In November 2021 she became a member of the German Photographic Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Photographie e.V). She lives and works in Frankfurt am Main. Padgett explores sites of historical and cultural importance through a variety of media, including film, photography, and text. By combining her creative process with research to gather historic knowledge, Padgett makes work that reveals the essence of a place while simultaneously presenting a subjective, contemporary perspective. Her work frequently exposes the tension between the enduring influence of history on the present and our attempts to alter, conceal or forget the past. Since 2018 she is represented by the Gallery-Peter-Sillem. Since 1991, Laura J. Padgett’s work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Germany and throughout Europe. Her photography has also been widely published. The artist's photographs accompany the essays by
Peter Zumthor in
Thinking Architecture (2006/2010/2012/2023). Between 2010 and 2012 Padgett followed the new construction and renovation of the
Städel Museum resulting in the publication
Raum über Zeit – Space over Time (2012). During this period of two years she created photographic narratives that capture time as the space in between. A selection of the photographs from the book are now in the collection of the DZ BANK Kunststiftung.
Confined Space was published in 2016, showcasing photographs she made in Lebanon during times she spent there from 2011 to 2015. Her first publication with the Galerie-Peter-Sillem,
Open Equations, appeared in 2019. Padgett's second solo exhibit with the Galerie-Peter-Sillem,
Regenerating Permanence, is also accompanied by a limited edition publication of the same name. The work in this exhibition is a culmination of two years' photographing the
Westend Synagogue in Frankfurt am Main. Padgett has recorded the special nature of this sanctuary and its history. Photographs from her series have been acquired by the
Jewish Museum Frankfurt and were on view in the museum throughout 2024. Her photographic series
Strata, produced in 2024, was first exhibited in the Galerie-Peter-Sillem and followed by her participation in the exhibition
City of Women Photographers, Frankfurt 1844-2024 in the
Historical Museum Frankfurt. Padgett’s films have been screened internationally at venues like the Media City Film Festival, Detroit, Cité Paris,
House of World Cultures, Berlin,
Pharos Centre for Contemporary Art in Nicosia, the
Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, Mousonturm in Frankfurt am Main, Cineteca di Bologna, Künstlerhaus Kino in Vienna, Viper Filmfestival in Bern, Kunsthalle Erfurt and at the
International Short Film Festival Oberhausen. In 2017 she received the Marielies-Hess Art Award. In the accompanying exhibition at the
Museum Giersch of the Goethe University, she also screened her film SOLITAIRE (2017). A small selection of her films was presented at the
San Francisco Cinematheque's CROSSROADS Film Festival, 21. August - 30. September 2020, curated by Steve Polta. In August 2021 her Film
So, tell me about your garden. and a selection of her films from her
From the Garden series were screened at the
Deutsches Filminstitut Filmmuseum as part of the Experimental Film program
Im Garten. 2023 she was a member of the Regional Feature Film Competition Jury of the Lichter Filmfest. A selection of her films are distributed by Light Cone, Paris and Film-Makers' Cooperative, New York. == Solo exhibitions (selection) ==