Emil Lukas

“Ultimately, if there is enough curiosity, the work can have a split second, to be at its very worst state, the state of being only material, but only for a split second!”

—Emil Lukas

Piero Atchugarry Gallery is pleased to present a new body of work by American artist Emil Lukas in his solo exhibition In Orbit with Untraceable Balance, curated by René Morales. Lukas is best known for "paintings" that consist of rectangular or circular wall-bound objects crisscrossed with thousands of miles of Guttenberg thread, each strand wrapped around nails driven into the paintings' supports along the edges. Lukas refers to the surface at the back of each of these objects as a "reflector," a pseudo-mirror that causes ambient light rays to bounce back aggressively through the mesh of thread into space, where it meets the viewer's eyes. With time and focus, where the density of the mesh thins out around the center of each composition, a sphere-like form emerges, hovering in front or behind the object like an intangible, ethereal presence. Whereas most painters are concerned with light and lighting insofar as they can be used to enhance the painting's surface, or at least prevent distraction from what is rendered on this surface, for Lukas light itself plays the starring role.

Emil Lukas (b. 1964, Pittsburgh, USA), is an American artist whose work redefines painting through material experimentation and optical sensitivity. Guided by process and intuition, he uses unconventional materials to explore perception and abstraction, creating works that invite both visual and contemplative engagement. Lukas has exhibited widely in the United States and abroad, with solo shows at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, The Mattress Factory, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His work is held in major collections, including the Panza Collection, the Margulies Collection, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and SFMOMA.