• Luftwerk, the Chicago-based artistic duo of Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero, develops spatial experiences mined from the creative possibilities of...
    Photograph by Dayson Roa
    Luftwerk, the Chicago-based artistic duo of Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero, develops spatial experiences mined from the creative possibilities of nature, data, and the built environment. Their installations, site-specific interventions, and artwork create a tangible exploratory experience, swathed in the simplicity of light, color, and shape. Each project of the duo builds and expands the body of work — the relationships between material and context that inform the experience of space, architecture, and landscape. The work is at once beautifully reflective of its site and also part of a greater understanding at the core of Luftwerk’s practice.

    Luftwerk states, "what fascinates us is the combination of color and light, to expand our understanding of color. Our interest in spatial compositions takes this phenomenon of color and light interactions into a realm where perspectives seem to shift and a space transforms into an immersive canvas, inviting a viewer to breathe, look, and experience."
  • Exhibitions
  • In conjunction with Anne Lindberg's Of all colors and concurrent survey exhibition MANIFESTLuftwerk transformed the Salon space at SECRIST | BEACH. See Landscape is a Composition installation below or the MANIFEST exhibition page for more.
     
    Installations and artwork by Luftwerk have been exhibited broadly at institutions including: Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL; Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, Alfred University, Alfred, NY; Cheekwood Estate & Gardens, Nashville, TN; Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, PA; Museum für Gestaltung, Zürich; Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago, IL and Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL. Throughout their practice, Luftwerk has develop a robust portfolio of projects that engage with notable modern and contemporary architecture including: Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Chicago, IL by Gehry Partners;  Barcelona Pavilion, Barcelona and Farnsworth House, Plano, IL by Mies van der Rohe; Ford Residence, Aurora, IL by Bruce Goff; Millennium Park, Chicago, IL by SOM; Fallingwater, Mill Run, PA and Robie House, Chicago, IL by Frank Lloyd Wright; and Netsch Residence, Chicago, IL by Walter Netsch. The artists have realized numerous large-scale permanent public and private commissions in Atlanta, Calgary, Charlotte, Chicago, Harare, Tampa, and Kansas City. They have received numerous awards, including project awards from the AIA Chicago, Graham Foundation, and the Illinois Arts Council. Their work is in several public and private collections including the Public Art collections of Chicago and Fulton County, Museum Buchheim, USF Institute for Research in Art. 
    Their work has been featured in publications such as Artforum, Hyperallergic, Time Magazine, The New Yorker. 
  • Works
    • Luftwerk, Aperture of Twilight: Dawn, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Aperture of Twilight: Dawn, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      5 layers
      33 x 33 inches each
      8 inch separation between layers
      33 x 33 x 74 inches with framework
    • Luftwerk, Aperture of Twilight: Dusk, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Aperture of Twilight: Dusk, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      5 layers
      33 x 33 inches each
      8 inch separation between layers
      33 x 33 x 74 inches with framework
    • Luftwerk, Aurae Duo No. 1, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Aurae Duo No. 1, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      33 inch diameter
      3 inch depth
    • Luftwerk, Aurae Duo No. 2, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Aurae Duo No. 2, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      19.75 inch diameter
      3 inch depth
    • Luftwerk, Aurae Duo No. 3 , 2025
      Luftwerk
      Aurae Duo No. 3 , 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      19.75 inch diameter
      3 inch depth
    • Luftwerk, Aurae Duo No. 4, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Aurae Duo No. 4, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      33 inch diameter
      3 inch depth
    • Luftwerk, Aurae Quartet No. 1 , 2025
      Luftwerk
      Aurae Quartet No. 1 , 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      33 inch diameter
      3 inch depth
    • Luftwerk, Aurae Quartet No. 2, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Aurae Quartet No. 2, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      33 inch diameter
      3 inch depth
    • Luftwerk, Aurae Trio No. 1, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Aurae Trio No. 1, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      26.375 inch diameter
      3 inch depth
    • Luftwerk, Color Space No. 1, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Color Space No. 1, 2025
      Glass with film
      13 x 13 x 13 inches
    • Luftwerk, Color Space No. 2, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Color Space No. 2, 2025
      Glass with film
      13 x 13 x 13 inches
    • Luftwerk, Color Space No. 3, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Color Space No. 3, 2025
      Glass with film
      13 x 13 x 13 inches
    • Luftwerk, Dawn over Dusk, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Dawn over Dusk, 2025
      Back print on Epson Doubleweight Matte paper
      Front print on clear film mounted on 1/8" acrylic
      21 x 21 inches, framed
    • Luftwerk, Open Frame 1, Perspective No. 2, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Open Frame 1, Perspective No. 2, 2025
      Aluminum, acrylic and fluorescent paint
      12 x 12 inches
    • Luftwerk, Solargraph: Arc of Days, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Solargraph: Arc of Days, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      72 pieces
      6 feet x 27 feet x 3 inches
    • Luftwerk, Solargraph: Convergence, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Solargraph: Convergence, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      17 pieces
      6 feet x 6 feet x 3 inches
    • Luftwerk, Solargraph: Shortest Day, 2025
      Luftwerk
      Solargraph: Shortest Day, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      24 x 57.25 x 2 inches
    • Luftwerk, where the sky meets the earth: Horizon No. 1, 2025
      Luftwerk
      where the sky meets the earth: Horizon No. 1, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      6 x 48 x 8.5 inches
    • Luftwerk, where the sky meets the earth: Horizon No. 2, 2025
      Luftwerk
      where the sky meets the earth: Horizon No. 2, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      6 x 48 x 8.5 inches
    • Luftwerk, where the sky meets the earth: Horizon No. 3, 2025
      Luftwerk
      where the sky meets the earth: Horizon No. 3, 2025
      Aluminum and acrylic paint
      6 x 48 x 8.5 inches
    • Luftwerk, Landscape is a Composition (Dark to Light), 2024
      Luftwerk
      Landscape is a Composition (Dark to Light), 2024
      Wall painting made of 7 rectangular shapes, color changing LED
      Dimensions variable
    • Luftwerk, Landscape is a Composition (Light to Dark), 2024
      Luftwerk
      Landscape is a Composition (Light to Dark), 2024
      Wall painting made of 7 rectangular shapes, color changing LED
      Dimensions variable
    • Luftwerk, Linear Perspective 1, 2023
      Luftwerk
      Linear Perspective 1, 2023
      Polymer print
      20 x 30 inches
      25.5 x 34.5 inches, framed
    • Luftwerk, Linear Perspective 2, 2023
      Luftwerk
      Linear Perspective 2, 2023
      Polymer print
      20 x 30 inches
      25.5 x 34.5 inches, framed
    • Luftwerk, Linear Perspective 3, 2023
      Luftwerk
      Linear Perspective 3, 2023
      Polymer print
      20 x 30 inches
      25.5 x 34.5 inches, framed