Luftwerk

Luftwerk Studio was founded by Chicago-based artists Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero. A combination of the German words luft (meaning “air”) and werk (meaning “work” or “artwork”), the name emphasizes both the ephemeral, immaterial properties of light and the material frameworks in which it takes shape and is experienced. Luftwerk has proven a conceptual touchstone for the artists’ over 20 years of collaboration.

Luftwerk exhibitions have been organized by the Chicago Botanic Garden (2024); Chicago Cultural Center (2013–14 and 2022–23); Fosdick-Nelson Gallery in Alfred, New York (2022); Cheekwood Estate & Gardens in Nashville, Tennessee (2022); and the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich in Zürich, Switzerland (2020–21), among others. They have realized installation projects for architectural sites including the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (2020), Millennium Park (2012), and Robie House (2010) in Chicago; the Barcelona Pavilion (2019) in Spain; and Fallingwater (2011) in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, among others.

Bachmaier and Gallero have been selected for residency programs at the Sustainability Lab at Bellevue University; the Institute of Electronic Art at Alfred University, Loghaven; the Montello Foundation; and Experimental Sound Studio, among others. They are the recipients of numerous awards and grants, including from AIA Chicago; the Graham Foundation; and the Illinois Arts Council.