‘In her cosmology, without certainties or declarations, the space occupied by a subject and an object is deployable, exponential, and as a consequence, its temporality: multiple – hence, through her work, we find a thought in movement, abstract and sometimes a little deranged.’ Javier Rivero

Artist and filmmaker based in Mexico City.

Her work revolves around a quest to locate and isolate concepts that are built around tangible elements. By discovering these elements, Laborde regenerates an image and positions it in new formations, creating new virtual spaces and with them propositions for change: towards care, backwardness, slowing down, ecology… At first glance, her work carries aesthetic and pleasure claims; however, it is performative in its presentation – soaked with temporality – and conceptual in its purpose. Greatly inspired by the simplicity of certain formations, the economic and exponential nature of proposals, the power of hosting bodies and the play of philosophical reverberations.
Laborde just finalized her first feature: The Backbone of Loss; as well as, attended Atelier 105 – Post production residency with her experimental documentary of Havana, Fiñe. As a result she is now distributed and archived by Light Cone.
In early 2022, El duelo de una espina dorsal, a solo exhibition curated by José Esparza Chong Cuy, PEANA Off-site, in Mexico City, MX; in 2021 she had her first film retrospective with the DocumentaMadrid festival, previously she was an artist-in-residence for the Tamayo Museum with her educational project -ito/-ita, resident at LIFT (Link of Independent Filmmakers in Toronto, CA) and resident director of the Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen – Conditional Cinema Program (2018-2022) for whom she created her film, Ficciones, presented at the New York Film Festival (NYFF) and the BFI London Film Festival.
Collaboration Notas y notas y notas… with Jenny Berger Myhre was commissioned and presented at Borealis Festival for Experimental Music in 2019. While her film En la era was screened at Bright Futures of IFFR, and Azúcar y saliva y vapor at FICUNAM and FidMarseille.
Previously her thesis, AS WITHOUT SO WITHIN, part of the catalogue: Ism, Ism, Ism / Ismo, Ismo, Ismo: Experimental Cinema in Latin America was selected in more than 20 festivals including; MoMa + FSLC, the 20th Sesc_ Videobrasil Contemporary Art Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and Rotterdam International Film Festival and awarded GRAND PRIX at 25fps Zagreb and JURY AWARD at 24th CUFF.
Manuela de Laborde holds an Intermedia Art BA-hons from Edinburgh College of Art and an MFA in Film and Video from The California Institute of the Arts.