Moscow based visual artist Alexey Luka

Alexey Luka is one of the most progressive Russian artists working today.

From early days in graffiti, Alexey now paints canvases, creates collages and assemblages from wood and other materials, as well as make digital illustrations.

Since 2008, Alexey’s works have been exhibited at two-man and group shows in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Amsterdam, Lyon, Paris, Portland, Rotterdam, and San Francisco, and he often takes part in street art festivals in Russia and Europe.

Can you tell us about your journey into art?

I was born in Moscow, and started painting graffiti about 13 years ago. I start to study in Architecture institute and at the same time in Moscow was first wave of graffiti and I was very interested and I begin to write my tag everywhere.

At what point did you start working under a tag/pseudonym?

At first time I start with tag Luk, it was something like a part of my surname. Then I add one more letter and only last 2-3 years I combined my real name with pseudonym.

How do your larger scale projects come about?

At first I spent a lot of time just writing my tag at the streets, but then I started experimenting with new techniques, collage illustrations and paintings. And then some of my friends started to ask me to work for some commission projects. So after this experience, I took on larger commissions and big scale murals. Now I try to focus only on my personal projects.

Do you work collaboratively? Are your artworks done in a spontaneous, intuitive way or planned?

Depends. In last two year I made 2-3 projects in collaboration with Nelio from Lyon. And most of works was made only with fast sketches.

How would you describe your work in a few words?

Figurative abstract, composition, disintegration, silence. Because sometimes you can’t understand what exactly you see in my works, and you need to start to find something special .

I describe my work as figurative abstract, composition, disintegration, silence.

How does foreign travel inspire and inform your work? Do you have the opportunity to work abroad often?

For sure traveling is always a big inspiration. Because you get new visual surroundings, met new people. So it depends of my mood I always change something in my works after travel. I try to show situations where I was during this trip. It will be great to travel more, but now I think I have 3-5 projects per year. Outside my city, it’s not too much.

Where do you live and work? How does the city in which you live and work and the pace of way of life inspire, influence and shape your creative output?

I live and work in Moscow, the most important influence came from soviet architecture and Russian avant-garde

You make art on a variety of walls and surfaces, do you have a preference?

Lately I have worked more with wood, trying made more sculptures and installations. But I always prefer working on canvas or medium size murals.

If you could go anywhere, paint anything, no budget restraints – where would you go & what would you do?

Hard question . Want to made big installations and wood assemblage, somewhere in small towns. Or in big art space.

See more: alexeyluka.com

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Posted on Dec 16th, 16 by | Twitter: @lisahassell

Founder & director of Inkygoodness, Lisa is a published writer and arts journalist, focusing on creative business, graphic art and illustration and design education. Her words regularly appear in Computer Arts, Creative Bloq, Digital Arts and IdN.

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