Kristy Luck

Kristy Luck’s paintings typically begin with what the artist calls “anchors,” fragments of figurative imagery that might feel bodily or architectural and often resemble interior spaces, such as the inside of a mouth or the depths of a cave. These initial forms are deliberately obscured as Luck layers pigments and shifts orientation. Through this process the original imagery transforms—what was ill defined at the start becomes increasingly abstract. At times Luck even rotates the canvas, forcing themself into a state of disorientation. If the artist is keen on keeping the viewer engaged as though they are attempting to solve a puzzle that’s insolvable, they heighten illegibility by deploying a palette of muted pastels and translucent washes that blur edges and soften boundaries. Within each composition, elements overlap, intersect, and penetrate one another, producing situations in which meaning is continually deferred.

Kristy Luck was born in 1985 in Woodstock, Illinois. Drawing inspiration from personal experience, Luck creates abstract, cerebral paintings. Recent solo exhibitions include Franklin Parrasch, New York (2024); Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles (2023, 2021, 2020); and Mendes Wood DM, São Paulo (2022). Recent group exhibitions include Robilant + Voena, Milan (2025); Sidecar, Los Angeles (2024); Grimm, New York (2024); Analog Diary, Beacon, NY (2024); Marin Museum of Contemporary Art, San Rafael, CA (2024); Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York (2023); Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles (2023, 2022, 2020); Corbett vs Dempsey, Chicago (2019); and Torrance Art Museum, CA (2019). Luck earned a BFA from Rockford University, Rockford, IL (2010), and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2014).