My name is Matthias Lück, I was born in Strausberg in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1984 and grew up in Müncheberg. After the Wall came down, I belonged to the first generation of school children in the newly united Germany. In addition to the contradictions, which only arose later, and finding orientation, I had a sheltered and quite free childhood.
I discovered the reunification legacies early on and rummaged through abandoned shops, factories and barracks. Many landscapes and places seem like they were caught in a time capsule and mostly remained untouched until the 2000s. A few of my friends had to use this freedom early on, discovered skateboarding and graffiti and finally infected me with this virus. Skating was never something for me, but the smell of paint and the process of spraying got me quickly and permanently.
Like many infected people, it spread from wall to wall, and most of my hard-earned money from summer jobs was spent on spray cans. The artwork or artworks that attracted my early admiration and respect is graffiti by sprayers KEMAR and STYX from my area. When I was still traveling with stone tools and cuneiform writing, so to speak, they were already immortalizing Rembrandt's night watch everywhere. I've always enjoyed looking over the shoulders of others and have always been impressed by the work of other artists, which motivates me to keep going and do something similar with other people. I'm very interested in other perspectives and ways of thinking and I don't have to judge them. I would like to be freer in spirit than I give myself credit for and I admire lightheartedness and lightness in people.
Over time I can say that my subjects find me, I'm like a sponge, soaking up inspiration all day long, making little notes or souvenir photos so that I don't forget certain ideas. There are always issues that I have to deal with personally in order to question myself and to understand how the Afghanistan left behind and also the streams of people who come to Europe because of hunger and war and will be our neighbors in the future. At this point, I would like to briefly mention that political art, when subtle and well done, has my full attention. For me, being an artist means being human, searching for yourself, finding peace and fighting against your own insecurities. There is the gathering of ideas and impressions, which then, without my conscious involvement, form a concrete intention and can be translated into a work.
I am currently converting a garage on my property into a studio. I'm making good progress and I'm very proud to be able to do this with my own hands. In every chunk that I open or tear off, I feel great joy and freedom in creating. The different materials that I get my hands on usually immediately trigger ideas. It's like an obsession to keep these things and later give them a task in one of my future works. I often describe my artistic existence as a journey that has no real beginning or end, when I get bored with one thing I start with another.
So if you find yourself needing creative pursuits like breathing or eating, by all means don't stop!
If you are now interested in seeing more of my work, take a look at my homepage www.lueckart.de or look for me on Instagram @lueck_matthias .
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