This project draws its inspiration from Asian calligraphy. Traditional calligraphy was an
art, with years of intense practice. Each master expressed his unique style with his
brush, drawn with ease in a (finally) natural way.
I take a contrasting approach. No masters, no stars. I focus on modern, random and
unintended structures or “signs”, “signs” found in the streets by accident. Signs,
however, that convey to me a spirit, a density, a visual impact similar to traditional
calligraphy. These “writings” just happened, by force of nature (eg corrosion) or due to
human interaction. And I wonder if these signs want to talk. Or if they just provide a
visual anchor for our own wonder, our thinking, or meditation.
The photographer Lu Mazen is a traveller. Initially, she travelled across the world. She saw different continents, old and new places, high-rises and high mountains. And people of all kinds. People of different cultures. She then entered into the working world of men and women. She travelled to the microcosm of daily life – made visible and enlarged through the lens. And she travels to inner places, places of my soul, to emotions, memories of times gone by. As memories emerge, so do images.
Lu Mazen currently focuses on fine art photography, on still lives and images of our world.
Awards Since 2001, Lu works intensely on photography. Since 2011 she had numerous exhibitions in Germany and Europe. Lu attended master courses with Josef Schulz in Irsee 2014, Nica Junker 2015 and Sonja Braas in 2016. Lu Mazen lives and works in Germany. She travelled from North America to Mexico and in Europe, focusing initially on landscape and street photography. She lived in Korea for 2 years, crossed Asia, focusing on Korea, Nepal, Japan, China, Vietnam and Mongolia.
Lu widely exhibits internationally, at festivals or galleries. In Germany she also exhibits at renowned art associations. She has successfully contributed to many art and photography prizes and become 3. Prize winner of the Alzey-Worms Art prize in 2016, offered by the local municipal gallery. She won bronze at Px3 2015 in the amateur category, turned finalist eg. at Premio Arte Laguna (2015), Premio Celeste (2015), Premio Lynx, The Julia Cameron Gala Award, the ARTIG Art prize offered by the art association in Kempten (2016) and the South West German Art Prize (2018). She gained a Dotart honorable mention in 2015 (street), a Sipa first selection 2016 and a shortlisting at Premio Celeste in 2017.
Exhibition list can be found on my website.
