In the latest installment of our ongoing artist video series, “From Page to Screen” (see more installments on our YouTube channel), we visited Luke Chueh’s LA studio to catch up with the artist. Chueh’s use of the same few characters in his work, namely the bear, is what attracts his most loyal fans and biggest critics. In the video, Chueh addresses these issues and discusses how the bear was created and why it remains important in his work.
In 2003, Chueh moved to Los Angeles to further pursue a career in design. However, a lack of employment opportunities left him resorting to painting as a way to keep busy (a hobby he picked up while attending Cal Poly). He got his start when the Los Angeles underground art show, Cannibal Flower, invited him to show at their monthly events. Since then, Chueh has quickly worked his way up the ranks of the LA art scene, establishing himself as an artist not to be ignored. Employing minimal color schemes, simple animal characters, and a seemingly endless list of ill-fated situations, Chueh stylistically balances cute with brute, walking the fine line between comedy and tragedy. Chueh’s work has been featured in galleries around the world, and some of his paintings have also been reinterpreted into vinyl toys. Luke has appeared in Hi-Fructose vol.11 and the Hi-Fructose collected 3 book. Get a copy here.
“Hi-Fructose presents: From Page to Screen” is a series of videos investigating the studios and processes of artists featured in the pages of Hi-Fructose New Contemporary Art Magazine. Produced by Hi-Fructose. Filmed and Edited by Kamio Media.