About Luftwerk
Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero met while studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and soon discovered a shared interest in installations that transform and sculpt spaces using light, color, and texture. Luftwerk studio was founded with an interdisciplinary approach to art where they experiment with a spectrum of materials, textures, and techniques. Asked how they came up with the name Luftwerk, they reply: “We wanted to find a name that reflected how people experience our work.” Luft (air) stands for the ephemeral quality of light. Werk (work, artwork) alludes to the materiality of surfaces, structures, and methods, and defines the framework in which light and sound take shape.
Based in Chicago, a city known for its architectural legacy, the duo charted their path using iconic buildings as their canvas. Their first early commission for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House led to interventions at sites including Chicago’s Millennium Park, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House and Barcelona Pavilion. Bachmaier and Gallero have created interventions at Chicago’s Jens Jensen designed Garfield Park Conservatory and Kiley Garden in Tampa, FL. Architecture, for them, is not simply a canvas but a collaborative partner. Working both nationally and internationally they have created permanent public artworks at the Marcel Breuer designed Central Library of Atlanta, SOM designed Manulife headquarters in Calgary, 21c Museum Hotel Kansas City, and locations in Chicago. Exhibitions include the Chicago Rooms at the Chicago Cultural Center, the Mattress Factory, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, Elmhurst Art Museum, Volume Gallery, and Cheekwood Estate & Gardens.
Petra Bachmaier, originally from Munich, holds an MA from the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg, Germany. She also holds a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Sean Gallero, originally from the Bronx, NYC, studied art and humanities at Lehman College, with a focus on applied arts and continued studies at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
www.luftwerk.net
