From large-scale interventions in the urban space to sculptures and paintings, Russian artist Alexey Luka’s collages are deeply imbued by his motherland’s avant-garde movements. In particular, the graphic composition, the use of geometric forms and the juxtaposition of paint and newspapers’ cut-outs recall El Lissitzky’s manifestos of the early XIX Russian propaganda.
Where’s Art talks to painter, sculptor and street artist Alexey Luka on the occasion of his solo show Being Here at Wunderkammern, in Rome.
To the ones who are not familiar with your work, how would you briefly describe your research ?
It is like combination art with architecture. From art I’m using different geometrical abstract shapes and forms. And from architecture, different materials and textures, All shapes and forms im trying to combine together.
From the press release we read “The observer is left, therefore, to reconstruct and consequently interpret the image, starting precisely with the colors that suggest shapes: faces, characters and landscapes alternate in a game of perception that activates our imagination.” What would you like the audience to take from your work?
I want them to be a part of my work. Sometimes I want to recreate situations and stories from my life or just from my surroundings. And I want to show this scenes to other people.
Do you ever take into account the audience’s reaction when working on a new piece?
I try to communicate with people when I am working on the streets. And its interesting to hear what they see in my works, but most of the time I prefer to work when nobody see me.
What is it in the world that mostly influences your work (music, horror movies, religion, books, economics, mass media, etc)?
The most important influence for me its Russian avant-garde. Also I like to travel and Nature is very important to me, that’s why I love very organic colors.
You have been trained as architect and most of your work comprises open door interventions, could you tell us a bit more about the artistic process for your solo exhibition at Wunderkammern?
I always start with making sketches. They can be made in series, or just like snapshots from my life. I prefer to use found materials. So I need some time to found wood panels plywood or anything i can use in my works. Then I start to work with everything, that I have. But I cant finish my work in one time, I always try to change something, so it could take a lot of time when I will satisfied with result.
Considering the theme investigated in your solo show Being here, do you think the place where you live influences your practice, and how?
For sure it’s a big influence. Not only place, where I live. One of the main point was to create all works in place where the exhibition is, because i can bring some small parts of “other life” in my works.
Do you have a favorite piece from Being here? Why this piece ?
I like all of them , in other way there is no reason to show them on exhibition.One of my favorite pieces is “Sunday”. I like how flat geometrical shapes works with founded wood.