Artists1, regardless of their medium, have long been society’s intellectuals, philosophers, and anthropologists. It is a mistake to view a work of art as merely an attempt at making something pretty in the same way that it is erroneous to perceive an anthropologist as one who writes books to preserve civilisation’s lost tribes (though both of those aims may be part of the work of an artist or anthropologist). Rather, the disciplines of both art and anthropology share a concern to “reawaken our senses and to allow knowledge to grow from the inside of being in the unfolding of life.”2 Artists and anthropologists are explicitly concerned with what suffuses culture, invisible to the naked eye, so that they may make it visible and shed light on the vast expanse of human possibilities. They are also inevitably a portrait of their time, and the work that is produced by each is reflective of a particular moment in human and cultural history.
The collection of pages, writings, photographs, analyses, and reflections that together form the digital home of STUDIO LUMI are the outcome of a particular engagement in the world as an artist and cultural anthropologist. It is a space not just for peddling services, but for exploring, in full, the nature of what it means to be alive and journeying through the contemporary age. It is at once art gallery and archive, field notebook and personal diary. Within its walls are visual exhibitions, a portfolio of work, theoretical treatises, cultural dossiers, personal reflections, and the works and wisdom of other great thinkers who have come before.
The work of STUDIO LUMI is the inquiry into the experience of being human
followed by a translation of that experience into artistic form.
The specific medium through which this occurs is subject to the phenomena in question and the particular needs and business objectives of each client. Though, not all of the work that populates these pages is commissioned by clients. Much of it is inspired by my perpetual curiosity about the diversity of human cultures and communities. Following one’s natural predilections not only generates relevant cultural insight, but deepens the insight and perspective that can be brought to movers and shakers on the forefront of cultural and societal transformation.
During your stay, you are invited to momentarily suspend your own interpretations of the world and, being consumed by curiosity, lose yourself in the sensory exploration of alternative possibilities. You are also invited to reflect deeply, to open yourself to shifts in perspective, and to share your thoughts in a constructive and respectful way.
Welcome, I hope you enjoy your visit and leave inspired to think.
1I use both artist and art in the broadest sense of the words, referring to those who are painters, photographers, mixed media artists, illustrators, writers, dancers, choreographers, designers, architects, poets, sculptors, actors, playwrights, musicians, craftspeople, videographers, and those who produce film of any length or genre. Put simply, those who create.
2Tim Ingold, 2013, Making: Anthropology, Archaeology, Art and Architecture, pg. 8.