ILAN LAKS - BIO

For Ilan Laks, the creative process is more of an organic life force rather than a predestined method of applying oil to canvas. Over the gestation period of about a year, Laks concentrates on what he calls his “litters”, 10 or so paintings that he raises, trying always to remember their individuality that makes them unique, while celebrating the familial ties that bind them. Much like a socio-ecological system, the forms in which Laks orchestrates into being reveal only a small amount of themselves at first. “To appreciate the true beauty of complex and interesting people you must go to them and invest yourself,” say Laks.

Laks was born in Boston, Massachusetts though he moved often with his family throughout his childhood. He began painting in his early teens and, forsaking convention, immediately committed himself entirely to his passion. After high school he chose San Francisco as his home where he earned a BFA Degree from San Francisco Art Institute while regularly exhibiting his work. Also a musician, Laks collaborated with San Francisco musicians providing album covers and videos for George Clinton of P-Funk, John Lee Hooker Jr., Linda Perry of Four Non-Blonds, Eric McFadden, The Broun Felinis, Deadweight and others.

Laks spent a year painting in Barcelona, Spain and outside of Santa Fe in the ghost-town of Cerillos, New Mexico both of which had a strong effect on him. “The two cities served as bookends (not only in my study of light and color) but as social and physical polar opposites, the ghost-town versus the big city. I needed to live out both extremes and so I did,” he says. Later, he lived in Los Angeles for a year becoming a member of Downtown Artist Development Association (DADA) and exhibited in Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Downtown Los Angeles.

Upon his return to San Francisco, Laks became involved in bringing artists of various genres together producing great events during which he created alliances and opportunities for many San Francisco artists, all the while working and exhibiting his paintings.

In 2005, Laks founded AudioCinema, a 10,000 sq foot production facility catering to the needs of Portland’s music and art community. Laks finds that the constant ebb and flow of creative energy circulating around him provides the proper nourishment his paintings need to grow. Says Laks, “I thrive on the variety of artists and musicians embodying different creative processes. I am a junkie for the influence of new artists and creativity and discussions and dialogues. I’m a glutton for culture. AudioCinema is a dream studio where I can do anything I want, but it’s too big for me. Everybody else can do their thing here; it’s open to any kind of culture production.”

Laks continues to paint a body of work each year and is currently showing with the Sous Terre Galleries in the Netherlands.