Spiritual Homes: The Artist Behind LRNCE Turns to Painting

Laurence Leenaert reveals the homely Moroccan inspiration behind her new body of art.

In 2015 Belgian artist and designer Laurence Leenaert decamped to Marrakesh and she’s never looked back. Her studio LRNCE is now an Instagram sensation (271k followers and counting) known for playful abstract designs applied to everything from clothing to ceramics, all photographed in the irresistible Moroccan sun. More recently, Leenaert has highlighted a lesser-known side of her practice through an exhibition of paintings at Cadogan Contemporary, London.

Qalb Dari: The Heart of the Home (which ran until 12 March online) is a new body of work that looks at the structure of the riad in Marrakesh, the ancient, symmetrical, interior courtyard gardens found in houses across the country, with origins in the Mediterranean and Middle East. It also continues Leenaert’s ongoing interest in what makes a home, how it can make us feel, and how the simplest shifts in hue, light and shape can bring joy and solace.