Joel Lueders Artist + Writer
I was born in Olathe, Kansas to an art professor and an electronics engineer. At eighteen, I attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and studied filmmaking. After a year I transfered to pursue astronomy before dropping out and becoming a mechanic in the Army. I now live in Minneapolis, with a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Minnesota.
I became an artist after a reaction to the work being displayed in local galleries. So much of the art scene was comprised of either over-intellectualized work of little substance and technique -or it's antonym- bewitching trinkets. Secondly, I was troubled by the fact that men are rarely shown in art as being courageous, capable of delicacy, and intelligent; as if: as one's IQ increases, one's liver becomes more lilied. I thought I could do better, so here we are.
My artwork playfully unites the themes of vanity, masculinity, and modern technology, through a combination of digital fabrication, illustration, and poetry.