IN ART, LESS = MORE

By Daniel Castelaz

Why the images in Luba Lukova’s Designing Justice are so visually appealing: saturated colors draw you in; hard edges clarify the dynamic shapes; and distilled compositions keep the eye locked into the picture plane. And, within her direct, elegantly streamlined images, Lukova has embedded the most essential element of all – a powerful message that gets people thinking.
 
In a piece like I Have A Dream, Lukova presents an image of vicious dogs attacking a black man, which establishes the core of the basic, symbolic message: black people in America have had a tortured history. Yet looking more closely at the way the image is structured reveals its subtle complexity. The image is composed of black silhouettes against an intense red backdrop. A semi-circle of slavering dogs strain at the taut leashes that barely hold them at bay. White is used as a stark highlight to intensify the viciousness of the dogs’ teeth, while simultaneously delivering the contrasting message of peace. The man in the image – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – is not standing to confront the animals. Rather, he is seated, back straight, with his hand held out palm-up in a gesture of peace. In these tiny but essential details, Lukova has reinforced the non-violent philosophy that was at the core of Dr. King’s life and work, while illuminating the strength of the forces arrayed against him. I Have A Dream is a brilliant embodiment of Lukova’s dedication to social awareness and her embrace of the concept that in art, less = more.