Lucas O. Woelk
“LOW” Lucas O. Woelk is a Chileno-American mixed media sculptor and poet based in Philadelphia, PA. He has attended the University of the Arts and Temple University, studying Sculpture in both institutions. His work explores domesticity, culture, and grief through meditative repetitive processes such as coiling, wrapping, and patchwork. He has received the UArts Presidential Award for Creativity and the Southampton Artists Association Award. Woelk has exhibited in galleries across New York and Philadelphia including the Parrish Art Museum, Icebox Project Space, The Clay Studio, and Philadelphia’s City Hall.
My current work is mainly mixed media sculpture inspired by quipus and other ancient art forms, made from repurposed textile waste and scrap material. I mix soft sculpture and assemblage to create contorted, bulging forms, sometimes resembling creatures. I am driven by reducing waste and transforming material, calling upon issues of overconsumption while drawing from Andean textile practices.
Conceptually the work is motivated by autobiography, often drawing from my Chileno Mapuche ancestry or my life experiences including grief, trauma, and transitions. My role as an artist I compare to that of the Quipucamayoc (an ancient fibre craftsman/ storyteller) and I am intrinsically inspired by indigenous South American textiles. My aesthetics are especially influenced by contemporary fibre sculptor Judith Scott and by pre-columbian Andean craft. The fundamental techniques I engage often have repetitive or meditative qualities. These include tying, wrapping, knotting, and coiling- small, simple processes that build up to create form over many hours of careful repetition. These methods of meticulous work speak to ancient practices, and symbolically reflect many small moments accumulating into a lived experience.
Truncated CV below, view full CV at this link
Education
2025 BFA in Sculpture at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA
2019- 2024 Attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA in pursuit of BFA in Sculpture.
Relevant Professional Experience
Current Lighting Designer- The Foundry, Philadelphia, PA
2025 Live Sound & Production Intern- National Independent Venue Foundation (NIVF) Venue Operations Experience Program, World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA
2025 Presenting Artist- Cordage Textile Workshop, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
2021- 2022 Shop Technician- Fiber Arts Studio, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Awards & Grants
2019-2024 University of the Arts Presidential Award for Creativity
2021 Out East Impact Award for Community Leadership Nominee
2020 University of the Arts Excellence in Writing First Year Award
2019 Neill Slaughter Award of Painting Excellence
2019 East End Arts Award for Technical Recognition in Stage Management
2019 Southampton Artists Association Award
Curatorial Projects
2026 All Into One, Philadelphia Sculptors, Wilson Gallery at Moore, Philadelphia, PA
2025 Made it!, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Group Exhibitions
2025 UArts Alumni Show, Atelier Art Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (invitational)
2025 Five Into One, Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, PA
2025 Throughline, Stella Elkins Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2025 Small Favors, The Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA
2025 Hang In There, Space 1026, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Transcending Uncertainty: Art Endures at Home in Philadelphia, City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Sculpture Forever, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA (invitational)
2024 Now One With Everyone, Icebox Project Space, Philadelphia, PA
2024 Going Home, Fine Arts Gallery 6, Philadelphia, PA
2023 Transitions and Transformations, Fine Arts Gallery 8, Philadelphia, PA
2023 The Cave and The Body (P.O.S.T.), I-Lab Gallery, Philadelphia, PA (invitational)
2023 Comet, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
2023 Rising, Fine Arts Gallery 8, Philadelphia, PA (invitational)
2023 Sizzle, Gershman Y, Philadelphia, PA (invitational)
2023 Highly Selective, Fine Arts Gallery 6 and Fine Arts Gallery 8, Philadelphia, PA
