Leora Lutz

I have a pressing desire to create something out of "nothing". By nothing I mean the intangible, the elusive and the ephemeral characteristics of language and the every-day. The work dismembers the puzzling bonds that transpire when people connect or when the unexpected happens. These bonds are distilled into poetic narratives.

The core of the things I do and the art I make is rooted in the writing, art and social practices of ancient Asian, and late 1800/early 1900 European rebels who empowered the role of the individual and questioned the norms of their time. Formal influence ranges from Dadaism to Suprematism, from embroidery to haiku. My personal culture stems from the fruition of punk rock reasoning and a life-long practice with the hand-made, continuously addressing ethics and the active role that art plays in shaping social history in myriad ways. My practice grabs onto historical context, alters it, and re-presents it in order to shift previous understanding into flux.

My process involves seemingly mismatched pairings of material and genre as a way to address comfort zones and conceptually translate the fragility of absolutes. When I make things, I use a combination of complex code-creation in tandem with fluid (or even messy or dangerous) chance. For example, burning holes in wool to form a night sky star pattern, or dabbing bleach to draw notes derived from sheet music. Materials and concepts are chosen for their accessible, embedded meanings and act as interpreters – the language of which varies for each reader.

The object, project or installation is the “first impression”. From there, others are invited to get to know the work better over time – not much different than a relationship, really. Generosity of interpretation is laid bare for any viewer when I leave the work and then new conversations can begin.

-Leora Lutz, 2012