Trans Art Is Artist: Luca Crow

Pronouns: Ze/hir/hirs

Why do you want to submit your artwork to the Trans Art Is opening showcase?

Artist Bio

Luca Crow is a Chicago-born artist specializing in illustration and stylized portraiture inspired by Japanese artforms and subcultures. Influences include Kaori Yuki, Aya Kato, and Yoshitaka Amano, as well as Art Nouveau artists Aubrey Beardsley and Alphonse Mucha.

Luca graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2008 with a degree in Digital Media, hoping to pursue a more practical route, but recently returned to hir love of fine art and illustration after finding that route unsatisfying. Ze is a proud parent living in the west suburbs, and when not creating visual art, is crafting underground electronic music under the name Imperfect Trust.

Artist Statement

I have an affinity for duality and balance. I am especially drawn to the balance between darkness and light, in a spiritual sense. Anything in excess can be harmful; it’s important to temper each thing with a little bit of the opposite.

Humanity intrigues me, and I love people. I do this work to explore personalities and human narratives, and for that reason, my subjects are typically recurring characters with their own stories to tell. At the same time, I feel that humanity bears some ugliness. I love people, but they frustrate me greatly. I believe that denial of one’s own darkness is a major source of grief in human society. Someday, if not today, I hope that my artwork forces people to look into their own ugliness and work with their inner demons in order to create a brighter world.