Artist Bio

Des Lucréce is a storyteller born between worlds. As a Norwegian-born Vietnamese artist who immigrated to the United States, he coined the term “No Home Center” to describe the limbo of living between cultures—never fully belonging to any one place​. He often recalls being “too Asian for Westerners and too Western for Asia,” forever a familiar stranger wherever he goes​. This lifelong journey of otherness lies at the very heart of his art​, and in giving it form he has become a voice for all who feel culturally adrift​.

In Lucréce’s visual universe, fantastical creatures and “monsters” dance across the canvas in intricate, intertwining lines, set against bold swaths of color​. His style carries echoes of both the frenetic energy of street art and the contemplative elegance of calligraphy, reflecting influences as varied as Jean-Michel Basquiat and the Japanese printmaker Maki Haku​. Having lived on multiple continents, he weaves a truly multicultural tapestry into each work​ a vibrant meeting of East and West where chaos and harmony elegantly coexist.

Beneath the striking imagery, Lucréce’s art is a meditation on desire, identity, and the human condition—shaped by his love of philosophy as much as by personal experience. He stands at the crossroads of digital innovation and philosophical introspection​, crafting works that double as quiet inquiries into the nature of longing and belonging. One recurring theme is our endless pursuit of fulfillment: he examines consumer culture and the elusive “object of desire,” questioning what we sacrifice for what we covet—and whether possession truly satisfies our thirst​. In his hands, even a mundane object like a soda can becomes a symbol of humanity’s conditioned cravings and empty promises​. Yet these heady ideas never overpower the work’s soul. Theory intertwines with emotion, and his use of cutting-edge digital tools is never just for show—it’s a means to explore how technology and connectivity shape our sense of self in the modern age​.

Though rich in concepts, Lucréce’s work is equally born of personal experience and emotion. His acclaimed Des Monsters series, for example, was first conceived as a response to the waves of hate his family and community faced during the pandemic​. What began as cathartic portraits of bigotry—imagined as grotesque yet oddly familiar monsters—soon evolved into a broader bestiary of characters representing the many faces of otherness he has encountered​.In another project, created after the loss of his father, Lucréce transformed grief into art, charting a journey of remembrance and longing that is both intimate and universally resonant. By pouring his own joys and sorrows into his creations, he opens a door for viewers to find their own reflections. Each piece invites us into a conversation about identity and empathy, asking us to recognize ourselves in the story of the “other” and to find compassion therein​.

At once timeless and timely, Des Lucréce’s voice is elegant, soulful, and tinged with mystery. He has carved out a realm where imagination meets truth, and where every stroke and color carries a quiet significance. As his body of work grows and transforms, he continues to challenge and redefine what art can be, treating it as a beacon that can question, connect, and illuminate our multifaceted world​ To step into the world of Lucréce is to wander through a dreamscape of hidden meanings and heartfelt stories, and to emerge with new eyes—contemplating the profound beauty and complexity of being human.