Emil Lukas makes evident every process and part that goes into
his work. Byproducts of his studio practice and the natural
environment become source material for and subjects of works
that are both painting and sculpture. The pieces are histories
of their own inspiration and construction. Wide ranging mater-
ials, including paper coffee cups used to mix paint, bottle caps,
plaster casts of objects and body parts, organic residue, string,
and bubble wrap are part of the archeology of each piece and
vocabulary of them all.

Lukas’ sculptures are stacks of two-sided paintings - each piece
ordered - so that a viewer flips back and forth through them,
like the pages of a book. The surface of each component
interlocks with the next, both physically and visually. Each turn
of a “page,” leads to discovery. The wall-mounted paintings are
inspired by the relationships between the components of the
sculptures. The paintings and sculptures share a visual
vocabulary that incorporates the actions and thoughts of the
artist, and parallel the processes of organic nature and time.