Luke Francis Haseler
London, since 1989.
Visual fine-artist, designer, portrait painter, picture maker, poet and curator - growing an art direction practice for a range of creative fields; seeking ultimately to give form to stories which compel the idea of the human spirit and the nature of things; to give value to our existence by establishing spaces for reflection, correspondence and feeling.
''My work explores the intersection of the physical and conceptual, reimagining landscapes—both tangible and abstract—that engage the intellect and the senses. I create spaces where past, present, and future coalesce; inviting reflection on the nuances of human existence, and questioning what is illusion.
At the core of my practice is the belief that a portrait transcends mere likeness, becoming a portal to deeper layers of identity, association, and emotion. By combining traditional and contemporary techniques, I seek to reveal the complexities behind the gaze. Drawing on historiography, myth, and performance, I explore how visual language bridges the figurative and the abstract. Inspired by the Renaissance masters, who captured both likeness and essence, the Symbolists, who delved into the archetypes of the subconscious, and performance artists, who interrogate identity through action and presence - my work envisions the portrait as a living reflection of both the self and the unseen.
I am particularly drawn to the spaces between subjects, using contrasts and juxtapositions of forms to reveal hidden relationships in perception and experience. This extends into my material exploration, where I push the boundaries of buon-fresco painting by working intuitively with the organic properties of fresh lime plaster—a dynamic medium that absorbs pigment and responds to water, air, and pressure for a brief window of time before it cures, creating conditions that mirror a performance. This interaction allows me to challenge conventional ideas of surface, movement, and permanence.
The Light Caves series represents the culmination of this exploration. Drawing from ancient cave paintings, these works channel the primal energy of early human expression while reflecting my own artistic evolution. Inspired by the Japanese concept of “Mushin” (mind without mind), the series captures the essence of instinct in stone - creating a space where nature, history, and creativity converge.''
