Emil Lukas | Center Hum

Center Hum East and West mark Durham Press’ first collaboration with artist Emil Lukas exploring translating his ‘Thread Paintings’ into the medium of print. Both editions in this series measure 37 ½ by 29 inches and are comprised of up to twenty screenprint impressions in editions of twenty-five.

Thread Paintings have become ubiquitous with Lukas’ body of work. By meticulously wrapping multicolored thread across a wooden frame, these compositions begin to seemingly glow from within, vibrating with light from the visual blur of overlapping strands. While in his paintings this sculptural form is the final artwork, Center Hum translates these physical objects into a new medium. At the Press, Lukas wrapped frames with thread using the same method as in his paintings though this time creating an almost expanded view as he separated what would become each thread color in the final screenprint composition to their own frames. Each frame was then exposed onto a screen, directly capturing the fine lines characteristic of the original thread. Layer by layer, Center Hum builds a work of art which captures the delicacy of Lukas’ practice; as depth builds and diffuses from crisscrossing lines, both works seem to emanate a halo of light that radiates from their centers.

For more information on Center Hum or Emil Lukas' other prints with Durham Press, please contact us at sales@durhampress.com.