cyberspace and the sea

I had gone away to spend some time out of the city. We booked a house near the sea because it seemed like a relaxing spot. The goal was to disconnect for a while, spend less time looking at screens all day. I took some creative supplies with me, markers and pencils and such, with the vague idea of, should inspiration strike, being creative in an analog way. And, of course, making photos. But I had no grand plan. I didn’t intend to develop a new project. So this is definitely a case of the work finding me instead of me finding it.

The drawings, poems, and photos I made essentially describe my experience that week. I’m literally talking about hanging out by the beach for a few days, trying to recover from a stressful time. On the surface, it’s not so profound. But it’s the mundanity that makes it relatable. I used that simplicity to tap into the subconscious.

After I got back home and realized I had created all this stuff, I wondered what I might do with it. I put together the video art and designed an experience meant to be seen in person, projected in a dark room with surround sound. I even set up a small screen prototype. The work created exactly the immersive and meditative environment I was going for. But given the pandemic, trying to plan an in-person exhibition didn’t feel right. So I began to consider what I could do digitally.

Three monitors showing the seaside magic video art by luke kurtis are the only source of light in the room.
small screen seaside magic video installation prototype

I’ve always been more comfortable in cyberspace, so it’s sort of odd I never did a digital exhibition before. But the pandemic has changed the ways we connect. Besides, I’ve always been somewhat reclusive and find it challenging to communicate with people in person, making digital spaces more effective. So, I hope other people are more open to this way of connecting than they might have been in the past.

It would be easy to think of an online exhibition as an inferior substitute for something else. But I don’t feel that way about this at all. In fact, I’m excited that I can beam this work into your home, no matter where you are in the world.

Please join me and explore seaside magic from your corner of cyberspace. I hope you will approach it with intention and feel the same sense of calm that I felt while making it.

INTERSECTION in ARTWACH, Daily Citizen, and Our View

ARTWACH by Tom Wachunas

Today is the last day of the INTERSECTION exhibition at Massillon Museum. I can’t believe it has come and gone so fast. I’m thankful that it has been written about for posterity, though. Here are some great pieces about the show…

Tom Wachunas of ARTWACH wrote a very thoughtful review of the exhibition. He really took the time to delve into the undertones of what the show is all about. I appreciate it when viewers probe the work and look beyond the surface like Tom did.

Misty Watson of The Daily Citizen wrote a piece about the show as well. Her article is not a review but more of a local interest story that discusses my background in northwest Georgia. Jamie Jones of the same paper had done an article about my Jordan’s Journey project back in 2012 and Misty’s piece is a followup on that.

I also appeared on the podcast Our View with Tim and Jill. We talked about INTERSECTION as well as some other projects I’ve been working on. The episode aired in two parts, so be sure to listen to part 1 and part 2.

INTERSECTION large print proofs

Going into the INTERSECTION exhibition for Massillon Museum, I knew it was going to be lots of hard work. Even before I conceived of doing the Kickstarter to help me get through it all, I had already put in months of work on developing the show and all the things that revolve around it.

But where so much of that work was digitally (and brain) based, things have moved head on into the physical plane now! I feel like the show is manifesting, bit by bit, right before my eyes. And never more-so than when I went to pick up the proofs for the two large pieces I made–with the help of my Kickstarter supporters–specifically for this show.

As they say, a picture is worth 1,000 words… so rather than write about it, I’m going to show you. In video.

A huge thanks goes out to my collaborator, Michael Harren. I love his music for this video!

INTERSECTION Debut Museum Show

I am pleased to announce that in March 2014 I will mount my debut solo museum exhibition. Massillon Museum in Massillon, Ohio will be hosting INTERSECTION, a show focused around my southern photography. This exhibition is a game changer in my career as an artist. But putting on a museum quality exhibition is an expensive undertaking and I need all the help I can get to successfully pull it off. This is a big step as an artist and I’m reaching out to art fans and supporters, friends and family, and fellow creatives to help make it all possible.

Read More

An August Update (In September)

Paul Toussaint and luke kurtis at The Empty Spaces Project in Putnam, CT

August was a busy month for me (hell, it’s been a busy year with no signs of things letting up any time soon). I thought I would round up a little update here with a sampling of my going-ons this past month.

I showed work from my muse series at a new gallery in Putnam, CT. I was very happy to be part of The Empty Spaces Project’s debut exhibition, curated by Paul Tousaint. It’s an excellent gallery space with beautiful light. The town of Putnam is delightful and artsy (and boasts northeastern Connecticut’s only sushi bar).

Read More

muse exhibition opens in Raleigh, NC

muse poster

Raleigh art collector Geraldine Bryan is proud to present muse, an intimate solo exhibition of new work by artist luke kurtis. Please join us at Community United Church of Christ (814 Dixie Trail in Raleigh) on Saturday, March 9, from 2-4 PM for the exhibition opening and to hear the artist discuss his work in a casual setting. The exhibition will remain on view until 20 April and is viewable by appointment (call 919-787-6422 or 919-787-8494).

muse is a series of never-before-exhibited digital collage prints that evolved out of the artist’s Jordan’s Journey project. Through a detailed process combining both digital and analogue techniques, kurtis probes the areas of spirituality, history, science, and fashion. Where Jordan’s Journey explored the idea of personal and collective memory through the lens of genealogical history, the muse series hones in on a sense of alternate reality. The muse images approach the symbolism of tarot cards or even religious icons yet function beyond that realm. The muses possess a psychedelic fashion sense while layers of scientific and technical imagery bring a sci-fi element to the works. These pieces illustrate the artist’s evolving technique and highlight his vision of a new world where spirituality and science are integrated aspects of the human experience.

luke kurtis (also known as Jordan M. Scoggins) is a Georgia-born interdisciplinary artist focusing on the intersection of photography, writing, and design. He lives and works in New York’s Greenwich Village.

Geraldine Bryan is a long-time art collector and Raleigh resident. She was a docent at the North Carolina Museum of Art for 18 years and is pleased to present the Raleigh debut of kurtis’s work.

Jordan’s Journey art show

I’m pleased to announce a new solo art show of my photography from the Jordan’s Journey project. It opens Tuesday, 5 June 2012, in Summerville, Georgia at the Summerville Library. I will be presenting a lecture that night at 6pm as part of the show. For those who can’t make it in the evening I am also presenting a lecture the day before at 2pm at the LaFayette-Walker Public Library. This marks the first outing for my art work in my native state (and first show under the name Jordan M. Scoggins).

I hope you will come out to say hello and check out my work.

Poster for the Jordan’s Journey exhibition and lectures. Designed by luke kurtis.