12/07/2024
Art Biography of Lira Leirner
Lira Leirner embodies a multifaceted identity that deeply influences her art. Born deaf on a farm in the French Pyrenees, raised in a Brazilian beach town, and next to a German forest, Lira Leirner studied and worked in London before settling near Basel with her wife. This diverse identity is a cornerstone of her artistic journey, providing a unique perspective and a profound sense of in-betweenness that informs her exploration of paradigms and existence.
With a BA in Sociology and Cultural Studies, Lira Leirner is a self-taught artist who has honed her skills through a combination of self-directed learning, extensive study of artworks in museums, and lifelong experimentation with visual composition and writing techniques. Growing up in a family of renowned artists and art collectors, she was immersed in the conceptual understanding of visual communication from an early age. Her experience working as a writer, designer, and photographer further enriches her artistic practice, blending visual and intellectual elements seamlessly.
Lira Leirner’s work spans a variety of material expressions that all share an exploration of meaning and effect of both the abstract and tangible upon perception. While initial impression appear purposely material and deeply textural, textual and tangible, the core of her work obsesses over the pure concept of the metaphysical process of the mind by the very relation to a merely apparent tangibility: the image and the idea, the assumption and acceptance of the communication of a piece of information.
The primary form of material exploration takes shape with oil or acrylic on stretched canvas or particle board and photography or video. She also explores the interplay of shape and materiality of letters in wool, wood, fabrics, paper, leather, and ceramics to observe meaning and effect of both the abstract and tangible. This diverse use of mediums reflects her exploration of information and materiality, inviting viewers to engage deeply with the meaning of existence and the process of accepting the inevitability of a contextually isolated understanding of truth.
Conceptual, impressionistic and perceptible, Lira Leirner's art often incorporates words and text to add a textual dimension to the communicative experience, which she describes as ‘Schriftbilder’. Inspired by philosophy, interaction with art and intricate details of everyday observation, her conceptual work varies in its visual expression. It encompasses the aesthetic of a deep colour palette ranging from earthy dark natural hues to warm, vivid accents and monochromatic white on black text, all reflecting the depth of the concepts she addresses in her texts.
Lira Leirner has been creating art for over two decades and shares her work primarily through social media as a way to intentionally explore the concepts of simulation that bridges the procession of information. She treats her Instagram as a dynamic exhibition space, posting daily to showcase her art, writing, and calming observations of details, alongside interactions with exhibitions and art, as well as the process of creation. With engaged followers on Instagram and a presence on various social media platforms, she also shares her texts in depth on Patreon.
Through her art, Lira Leirner challenges conventional narratives of reality, truth, and time, encouraging viewers to question perceptions and engage deeply with existence, understanding, and communication. Her work illustrates the material yet uncertain essence of all things, urging a profound appreciation of thought and the ordinary.
PATTERNS OF ART
"Patterns of Art" explores the intricate details within existing artworks through extreme close-ups, highlighting texture, colour, and abstract shapes. By focusing on elements such as brushstroke textures and the materiality of paint, the project deliberately distorts the original intent of each artwork. This approach transforms familiar pieces into new compositions, claiming ownership over a uniquely abstracted perception.
Through this process, the project challenges conventional interpretations and demonstrates the unpredictability of viewer perception—highlighting how memory can distort reality as much as artistic intention. It illustrates that any artwork, regardless of initial aesthetic appreciation, can be reinterpreted through its material application, crafting compositions that align with personal aesthetic sensibilities.
Presenting these reinterpretations digitally or in print underscores the project's focus on the aesthetic allure of material and pattern, divorced from their original context. This approach, though potentially contentious to traditionalists, does not subscribe to a nihilistic view akin to Baudrillard's simulacra. Instead, it asserts that each reinterpretation forms a new entity, shaped by individual interaction and understanding.
"Patterns of Art" invites viewers to engage not only with the visible results, but also with the conceptual framework underpinning each reinterpretation. It prompts exploration of the nuanced relationship between perception, reality, and artistic intent, celebrating the beauty and complexity found in the smallest details of art.
VISUAL TOUCH
"Visual Touch" captures the tactile essence of textures as a hand glides over various surfaces. Each short video illuminates the interplay between touch and sight, inviting viewers into a vicarious sensory exploration of materiality.
Beyond mere visual perception, the project delves into the concept of dissonance between tactile sensations and their visual representation. It challenges viewers to contemplate how information is processed through different senses, prompting reflections on the nature of presence and perception.
Ultimately, "Visual Touch" encourages a deeper appreciation for visual texture as an established replacement of sensory experiences in art, questioning the hierarchy between physical presence and its visual representations.
REARTING ART
"Rearting Art" transforms forgotten, celebrated, and new figurative paintings into philosophical narratives by layering intricate text over existing artworks and prints. This process recontextualises art, merging past and present in a thought-provoking dialogue. By combining visual and textual elements, it encourages deep reflection on existence, language, and worth, challenging conventional paradigms of object permanence and inviting viewers to engage with the material, conceptual, and contextual essence of art.
TEXTUAL ARTIFACTS
"Textual Artifacts" is a collection showcasing painted wooden cubes, knitted pullovers adorned with intricate writing patterns, detailed white chocolate pralines, and more. Each piece merges artistry with everyday objects, transforming them into conceptual narratives. Spanning decades, this archive includes a variety of objects reimagined through monochromatic text, reflecting a deep exploration of shape, abstraction, and materiality.
SCHRIFTBILD ARCHIVE
Delve into the full "Schriftbild Text Archives" on Patreon to explore a diverse collection of contemplative text and narratives spanning two decades, from short stories, poems, and essays, to reflections, observations, and philosophical musings within the Schriftbild artwork. This earlier monochromatic work shows a progression of largely textual exploratory work on the shapes of letters within the context of the space of each other.
https://www.patreon.com/LiraLeirnerDesign
