Lumin Wakoa (1981-2025), Briefly Brilliant, 2023. Oil on linen, 82 × 70 in.
Wonderful Work By @luminw
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@Luminw didn’t just paint what she saw—she painted how it felt to see. In a world obsessed with clarity and completion, her canvases lived in the blur between memory and sensation. At the time of her passing at just 43, the Florida-born artist had carved out a rare kind of space in contemporary art—one that was intimate, unguarded, and quietly transcendent
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#LuminWakoa #RIPArtist #ArtistLegacy #InnerVision #ContemporaryArt #AbstractPainting #PlinéAir #TexturedArt #EmotionalLandscapes #EtherealArt #MeditativePainting #ArtAndMemory #NatureInspired #PainterPoet #LinenOnPanel #LayeredGesso #IntuitiveProcess #ColorNarrative #TheUnnaming #VSFSeoul #GallerySolo #RISDMFA #NewYorkArtist #MFAAlumni #ArtObituary #ArtisticInfluence #vokemagazine #voke
From @hendrikgerrits : Yesterday, after enduring 13 months of treatments and two brain surgeries, Lumin peacefully passed away at home surrounded by her loved ones. I met Lumin nearly 20 years ago on the L-train transfer bus, and in that moment, my entire center of gravity shifted. After our first kiss, I never stopped showing her how much I loved her. Anyone who knew Lumin knew magic. She was a painter who endlessly strived to reveal something about what it is like to be alive and directly experience this beautiful world around us. Get her out of her studio and into the ocean, and she seemed to grow gills, suddenly able to free dive impressive depths, see through the camouflage of every hidden creature, and skin conch with her bare teeth for dinner. She could summon wildlife by sheer force of will – to adventure with Lumin meant swimming with wild dolphins, playing with manatees, and spearing gigantic lobsters. Most importantly, she was the most loving, joyful, and patient mother. She taught me the daily skill of sitting still to delight in the wonder of our daughters.
Lumin moved to NYC in 2005 to make a career out of her art. She worked many jobs (waitressing in the Hamptons, installing art in the Guggenheim, and teaching college art classes) to fund her art practice. She never stopped painting, even through pregnancy, birth, and the nurturing of our two children. Her career finally bloomed amid the pandemic, as she moved her practice outside, painting in her garden and the local cemeteries, while our daughters ran around gravestones. Two months before her brain cancer diagnosis, she had her first ground-floor solo exhibition in Chelsea, with Harper’s – an achievement that would have made a 25-year-old Lumin beam with pride.
Completely blown away by Amy Lincoln’s show that just opened at @speronewestwater
On The Strangest Sea
I love these paintings and this woman so much💜🌈❤️☀️🌕
Go and soak in the color!
@amyplincoln
I’m a 2024 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Painting! I’m honored to be in such great company including @allygildersleeve@allisonjevans & @jackarthurwood . Thankful to have this kind of support for my work and excited to put the award money to use! Thank you @nyscouncilonthearts and @nyfacurrent ! Full details at nyfa.org/blog. #NYSCANYFAFellows
𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘
Lumin Wakoa
𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵
Edition of 30, 2024
Archival pigment print on Hahnemuhle etching paper
Signed and numbered by the artist on front
26.00 x 22.00 in
66.04 x 55.88 cm
Lumin Wakoa’s practice is deeply rooted in the ephemeral nature of the natural world. Traditionally painting en plein air, Wakoa captures the ever-changing landscapes that mirror the cycles of life, death, and transformation. Her work draws a parallel between these environmental processes and the emotional and psychic experiences that define human existence. Growing up along the biodiverse Gulf Coast and now painting amidst the vegetation of her Queens yard or the rich landscapes of upstate New York, Wakoa immerses herself in nature to create her towering canvases. Her compositions, like the surroundings she studies, are dynamic and constantly evolving, reflecting the fluidity and resilience of life.
In her edition, 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵, Wakoa encapsulates the fleeting beauty of life through a vibrant scene of sunflowers staged against a rose gold backdrop. Reflecting on the work, Wakoa shares, “I typically prefer painting outside, where I can immerse myself in the infinite variation of the natural world around me. However, during the winter months preceding my solo show, Observer Effect, I had to bring my work indoors. 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 emerged from the cold and dark winter like a burst of pure light and hope. Each week, I added more sunflowers, and as I painted, individual blooms receded and emerged. Eventually, subject and narrative fell away to reveal the present moment. Exhibition A and I worked tirelessly to ensure this translation from painting to print captures the same essence of color and light, condensed in size, but just as powerful.”
#luminwakoa #exhibitiona
I am completely surprised and delighted that some very dear friends are in Seoul while my show is up with @vsf and that they made time in their busy schedules to VISIT! thank you friends 😊💚💙💜
@chiaozza@prayznerstudio
If you find yourself in Seoul stop by my show The Unnaming @vsf
So sad I could not be there for the opening but unfortunately it just could not be so. Thank you to the whole team who helped make it happen💜💜💜
This is the last week of my show “Observer Effect”. It closes May 5th.
I’m so grateful to all the friends, family and curious folks who came and gave their attention and time. Thank you!!! I have been in NY a long time and I feel so lucky to be a part of this community. And thank you Harper and the entire team @harpersbooks for your support and enthusiasm and for making this possible. What an amazing experience💙💜💛💚🧡
