Today we’d like to introduce you to Lourans Mikhail.
Hi Lourans, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in Baghdad, Iraq and my parents fled because of the religious persecution they faced and the mounting war in 1980. We immigrated to Chicago. I grew up doing graffiti as a teen. After high school, I joined the Marines and served 13 honorable years, while being deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Okinawa, Japan.
I was also raising my oldest child Trinity during my service. Afterward, I remained settled in San Diego, CA. and I decided to use my G.I. Bill to get a graphic design degree. Graphic design set my love for typography off again but with a different twist compared to graffiti. So I started playing with letterforms again but also realized I didn’t want to make logos, advertisements, or other designs for companies or products my values weren’t aligned with.
I started drawing and began thinking about actually making art and around this time created my first mural in Anaheim, CA. I fell in love with being able to let my creativity be visible without having the worry of being arrested. Plus, I could do it for people or businesses I chose. I started taking a few fine art classes at Mesa Community College in San Diego and loved ceramics, which initially sparked my love for sculpting.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It will never be smooth, curves and bumps are what make life interesting and provide great stories. Everyone faces challenges, setbacks, and rejections. I have had teachers tell me in graphic design school to focus on graphic design and not art because it wouldn’t pay the bills, and have had some people telling me to stay in the aviation field due to my time in the Marines and my experience on aircraft. I felt that I owed it to my self to be authentic and do what I felt was right, and their doubt made me push my limits.
My art is a commentary on social and political issues in our society. With that, there was some resistance in San Diego when I first started in 2018. Nevertheless I continued submitting to shows and decided to reach outside of my immediate area. I started being accepted into galleries in Los Angeles, and I was accepted into an international artist residency in France in 2020. Unfortunately just before IW as ready to leave the world stopped due to Covid. With my residency on pause for the moment, I ended up having the opportunity to have my first solo show at Thumb Print Gallery in San Diego.
Following that, I was invited to be in a museum exhibit honoring Immigrant Veterans and I was able to have my art at the New Americans Museum in San Diego. I also moved cross country to Chattanooga, TN. in late October 2020. So it was another new city to acclimate to and find the artists in the community. But I believe change is good and it allows us to continue to grow.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I hold a degree in graphic and web design, but my art consists of murals, sculpting and painting. I started a two different series of works that is still being explored. One is called “Anamorphic Alphabet”, which is my own style of typography. The twist is how I create both upper and lower case letters in one letterform using a single line that never intersects.
It reminded people a lot of M.C. Escher because it was a brain tease and optical illusion. I have since made murals with them and sculpted them in wood and ceramics. I have more plans for them to be used in other aspects, one day a large-scale public sculpture.
I also started a series titled “Different Strokes” which was also my first solo show I spoke about earlier. I create art with everyday paintbrushes, but remove the bristles and replace them with what would be the context of a painting, advertisement, or what have you. For example, I have one with cigarettes in place of the bristles made to look like a popular brand, one was made out of french fries mocking a fast-food chain, and others with real human locs to address the idea of what is “good hair”.
I have also started a new series in which I explore literal words, ideas, or sayings and construct them as something that can be seen, aptly titled “Literally?!”. The first piece was titled “Noose Paper”, which was a noose made with newspaper, followed by “Paper, Rock, Scissors”. One half of a scissor was sculpted from marble, the other half from paper, hence the title.
These along with my murals are what continue to push my creativity. I now also have learned to do drone videography, and have shot and edited 5 music videos, while also creating my own music. I released two instrumental Hip-Hop albums on Sound Cloud recently.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Being genuine and having the ability to take your ego out of the equation, everyone can sense when someone is genuine and not trying to take advantage of you or your reputation. I think that is what has helped me to find other artists that have helped me along my journey. The main thing is continued growth and work, people will see your dedication to what you want to do.
Networking is huge, when I was just doing graphic design, I joined the AIGA in San Diego as a student. This put me in the same room as established designers and I went to design conferences and met some of the biggest names in graphic design. I also would go to galleries openings and approach the artwork as opposed to the artist.
This at times showed my genuine interest in the art and not the name of the artist. I thas created some great dialogue and stories when I unexpectedly did not know what some artists looked like. Don’t be afraid and listen more.
Contact Info:
- Email: LouransMikhail@gmail.com
- Website: LouransMikhail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/LouransMikhail
- Facebook: facebook.com/LouransMikhail
- Twitter: twitter.com/LouransMikhail
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa6XM3F6fTub0H6Ef9ADSWA/featured
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/lou-campanella
