Leda Luss Luyken
Encyclopedia
Leda Luss Luyken, née Valata, (* 1952 in Athens
), Greece, is a Greek | American conceptual artist who lives and works in Germany.
, Mies van der Rohe and Richard Neutra
as well as Japanese garden architecture
.
She then began her professional career as an architectural designer
and interior architect
in New York, working intensively with designs by Charles Eames, Herman Miller
and Eero Saarinen
.
Drawing on this experience, Leda Luss Luyken has been working since 1983 as a conceptual artist in England, Germany and Greece. She received painting tutorials from Alfred de Vivanco, a pupil of Emil Nolde
and is regularly being coached by Gisela Sellenriek (Academy of Fine Arts Berlin and Munich).
depicting personifications of the condition humaine. They were shown in two major solo shows in Amsterdam and are documented in a monograph.
is Leda Luss Luyken's conceptual innovation, a "new way of motion in painting" (Denys Zacharopoulos
). Luss Luyken has produced cycles of paintings using this innovative technique: Millennium (1996–2002); Greek Spirit (2003–2005); Genesis (2006–2008); 96% Dark Matter (2008–2010); Cosmos Sensual (2010-2011). Each of these cycles comprises approximately 20 large scale paintings measuring 180 : 180 cm or more.
In terms of contemporary art, ModulArt belongs to the category of conceptual art
. It is not so much the finished painting but its openness to change and alterability that define the basic idea of ModulArt. The painter's sujets are open to their de- and reconstruction into new, modulated images. To do so, the artist lets go of her work and allows for its further development by the viewer. The viewer thus becomes an active user of art. Modulated images open up new perspectives and insights on the subject, the artistic development of a piece of art remains in a state of flux. Such further development of a ModulArt painting is open-source and can be done any time in nearly unlimited variations. Luss Luyken's ModulArt coincides and was developed independently during the same period of time with Stefano Vagnini's
ModulArt
in the realm of musical composition. Both hold that the artist’s tools to creativity are virtually unlimited by way of ModulArt.
Luss-Luyken's ModulArt was publicly exhibited in museums in Leipzig, Munich, Berlin and Weimar as well as in major solo shows in galleries in Amsterdam, Berlin, Zurich and Munich. Luss Luyken's ModulArt is documented in a catalogue, a monograph, a collector's catalogue and three films.
. Using this medium, Leda Luss Luyken has produced the following series of paintings: The Aphrodite Series (2001); The Nike Series (2003); The Garden of Eden Series (2004); The E-motions Series (2005).
Each of these consists of between 20 and 30 works, mostly on Indian or Chinese rice paper and in some cases using a combination on both. Many of the themes are drawn from ancient mythology
and Luss Luyken transposes their essence into modernity
.
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
), Greece, is a Greek | American conceptual artist who lives and works in Germany.
Biography
Leda Luss-Luyken was educated at the Ecole d'Humanité in Switzerland and studied arts and architecture in Zurich, New York and Manchester. During that time she was particularly influenced by the works of Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
, Mies van der Rohe and Richard Neutra
Richard Neutra
Richard Joseph Neutra is considered one of modernism's most important architects.- Biography :Neutra was born in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Vienna, Austria Hungary, on April 8, 1892. He was born into both-Jewish wealthy family...
as well as Japanese garden architecture
Japanese garden
, that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and old castles....
.
She then began her professional career as an architectural designer
Architectural designer
An architectural designer is an architect that is primarily involved in the design of buildings or urban landscapes, as opposed to the construction documents and management required to construct it. Architectural designers have good creative skills, imagination and artistic talent...
and interior architect
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
in New York, working intensively with designs by Charles Eames, Herman Miller
Herman Miller
Herman Miller may refer to:*Herman Miller , U.S. manufacturer of office furniture and equipment*Herman Miller , Hollywood writer and producer...
and Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect and industrial designer of the 20th century famous for varying his style according to the demands of the project: simple, sweeping, arching structural curves or machine-like rationalism.-Biography:Eero Saarinen shared the same birthday as his father,...
.
Drawing on this experience, Leda Luss Luyken has been working since 1983 as a conceptual artist in England, Germany and Greece. She received painting tutorials from Alfred de Vivanco, a pupil of Emil Nolde
Emil Nolde
Emil Nolde was a German painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and is considered to be one of the great oil painting and watercolour painters of the 20th century. He is known for his vigorous brushwork and expressive choice of colors...
and is regularly being coached by Gisela Sellenriek (Academy of Fine Arts Berlin and Munich).
Figurative works 1985 to 1996
This is a body of work ranging from life drawing to expressive figurative paintingsFigurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
depicting personifications of the condition humaine. They were shown in two major solo shows in Amsterdam and are documented in a monograph.
ModulArt 1996 to date
ModulArtModulArt
Modular art is art created by joining together standardized units to form larger, more complex compositions. In some works the units can be subsequently moved, removed and added to – that is, modulated – to create a new work of art, different from the original or ensuing configurations.- Origins...
is Leda Luss Luyken's conceptual innovation, a "new way of motion in painting" (Denys Zacharopoulos
Denys Zacharopoulos
Denys Zacharopoulos is an art historian and theorist. He works as Professor for Art history, author and curator, amongst others at the 48th Biennale in Venice and documenta IX in Kassel .- Biography :...
). Luss Luyken has produced cycles of paintings using this innovative technique: Millennium (1996–2002); Greek Spirit (2003–2005); Genesis (2006–2008); 96% Dark Matter (2008–2010); Cosmos Sensual (2010-2011). Each of these cycles comprises approximately 20 large scale paintings measuring 180 : 180 cm or more.
In terms of contemporary art, ModulArt belongs to the category of conceptual art
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
. It is not so much the finished painting but its openness to change and alterability that define the basic idea of ModulArt. The painter's sujets are open to their de- and reconstruction into new, modulated images. To do so, the artist lets go of her work and allows for its further development by the viewer. The viewer thus becomes an active user of art. Modulated images open up new perspectives and insights on the subject, the artistic development of a piece of art remains in a state of flux. Such further development of a ModulArt painting is open-source and can be done any time in nearly unlimited variations. Luss Luyken's ModulArt coincides and was developed independently during the same period of time with Stefano Vagnini's
Stefano Vagnini
Stefano Vagnini is an Italian musician, composer, poet and Modular Art theorist who lives and works in Italy and in the United States.-Biography:Stefano Vagnini was born in Fano, Italy....
ModulArt
ModulArt
Modular art is art created by joining together standardized units to form larger, more complex compositions. In some works the units can be subsequently moved, removed and added to – that is, modulated – to create a new work of art, different from the original or ensuing configurations.- Origins...
in the realm of musical composition. Both hold that the artist’s tools to creativity are virtually unlimited by way of ModulArt.
Luss-Luyken's ModulArt was publicly exhibited in museums in Leipzig, Munich, Berlin and Weimar as well as in major solo shows in galleries in Amsterdam, Berlin, Zurich and Munich. Luss Luyken's ModulArt is documented in a catalogue, a monograph, a collector's catalogue and three films.
RiceArt 2001 to date
RiceArt is multimedia work on transparent rice paperRice paper
Rice paper usually refers to paper made from parts of the rice plant, like rice straw or rice flour. The term is also used for paper made from or containing other plants, such as hemp, bamboo or mulberry...
. Using this medium, Leda Luss Luyken has produced the following series of paintings: The Aphrodite Series (2001); The Nike Series (2003); The Garden of Eden Series (2004); The E-motions Series (2005).
Each of these consists of between 20 and 30 works, mostly on Indian or Chinese rice paper and in some cases using a combination on both. Many of the themes are drawn from ancient mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
and Luss Luyken transposes their essence into modernity
Modernity
Modernity typically refers to a post-traditional, post-medieval historical period, one marked by the move from feudalism toward capitalism, industrialization, secularization, rationalization, the nation-state and its constituent institutions and forms of surveillance...
.
Museum exhibitions
- 1996 Museum Grassi in Leipzig | solo exhibition | Palympsistos |
- 2001 Haus der KunstHaus der KunstThe Haus der Kunst is an art museum in Munich, Germany. It is located at Prinzregentenstrasse 1 at the southern edge of the Englischer Garten, Munich's largest park.-History:...
| München (K 01) | - 2003 Abgusssammlung Antiker Plastik | Berlin | solo exhibition | 4Olympia04 |
- 2004 Haus der KunstHaus der KunstThe Haus der Kunst is an art museum in Munich, Germany. It is located at Prinzregentenstrasse 1 at the southern edge of the Englischer Garten, Munich's largest park.-History:...
| München (K 04) | - 2008 Stadtmuseum in Weimar | solo exhibition | Greek Spirit |
Works in the public domain
- 1985 1000 Jahre Verden | glass mural | stained glass | 10 : 2.50 meters
- 1988 Links | The European Institute for the Media | Manchester (UK) | 480 : 180 cm
- 1999 Links | 480 : 2180 cm | Landesanstalt für Medien | Düsseldorf | Germany
- 2002 Aphroditi | United Buddy Bear contracted by the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic, Berlin and sponsored by Honorary Consul Mme. Madeleine SchickedanzMadeleine SchickedanzMadeleine Schickedanz is a German entrepreneur. She is the daughter of Gustav and Grete Schickedanz, the founders of catalog retailer Quelle Versand, which merged with Karstadt to form one of Europe's largest companies....
| exhibited at the Brandenburger Tor in Berlin and auctioned for the benefit of UNICEF - 2003 Olympic Ambassador | Buddy Bear for the Hellenic Republic, publicly shown in 2003 Berlin | 2003 Kitzbühel (AU) | 2004 Hong Kong | 2004 Istanbul | 2005 Tokyo | 2005 Seoul | 2005 Sydney | 2006 Berlin | 2006 Vienna | 2007 Cairo | 2007 Jerusalem | 2008 Warsaw | 2008 Stuttgart | 2008 Pong Yang | 2009 Buenos Aires | 2009 Montevideo | 2009 Berlin | 2010 Astana | 2010 Helsinki |2011 Sofia |
- 2004/05 Gelber Engel |sculpture 63 : 99 : 85 cm | commissioned by ADACADACThe ADAC is Germany's and Europe's largest automobile club, with more than 17 million members in June 2010. It was founded on May 24, 1903 as "Deutsche Motorradfahrer-Vereinigung" and was renamed in 1911...
Germany | on public display at ADAC Cologne | - 2010 2K1| a contemporary DanceModulartVideo project | Kunsthalle whiteBOX Kultfabrik | Munich |
Major solo gallery shows
- 1969 Stöckli Ausstellung, Ecole d'Humanité, Goldern, Switzerland
- 1987 5th Annual Exhibition of Young Artists, Cavendish House, Manchester, U.K.
- 1990 My Gender: a Woman Paints Women, Casabella Gallery, Manchester, U.K.
- 1992 Always at Midnight, Gallery Brouwersgracht Twee Drie Acht, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 1994 De koning en zijn hofhouding, Gallery Brouwersgracht Twee Drie Acht, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 1994 Right or Wrong, my Love, Galerie Belarte, Dübendorf, ZH, Switzerland
- 1998 Farbige und Weiße, Kunstpavillion Munich, Germany
- 1999 Perhaps Love, Gallerie Brouwersgracht Twee Drie Acht, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 2001 Die Sünde, HYPOSWISS, Zurich, Switzerland
- 2002 Six-pack, Galerie Browersgracht Twe Drie Acht, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 2004 Overzichtstentoonstelling 1991–2004, Gallery Twee Drie Acht, Amsterdam , The Netherlands |
- 2006 Greek Spirit: e-motion, camera artis, Schauplatz für moderne Kunst, Munich, Germany |
- 2008 Genesis, Camera artis, Schauplatz für moderne Kunst, Munich, Germany |
- 2008 RiceArt, Galerie Refugium, Dresden, Germany |
- 2009 :ModulArt = 4^y x y!, Marstall, Berg, Germany |
- 2010 ModulArt: Freude an Innovation, BMW - SM, Munich | Germany |
- 2010 |local > global | P1 | arts space | Melos | Greece |
Art trade fair shows
- 2011 | Ai15 | ART INNSBRUCK | Austria |
- 2011 | und#6 | Karlsruhe | Germany |
- 2011 | art Athina | Greece |
Films
- Παντα ρει: Leda Luss-Luyken's ModulArt | Film + TV feature | 12’ | by 3’30” films |Berlin | 2004 |
- :ModulArt©LLL, 1’30” | by Roman Luyken | Studio L | London | 2009 |
- Leda Luss Luyken: ModulArt | TV Feature by Peider Defilla | for BRα - ARD TV | Munich | 15' | 2011 |