Portfolio
I am Luka Matthias Gruber , 20 years old, self-taught artist from Graz, Austria.
Sunny , my recurring character, is the focus of my work. He appears in various scenes, with a guitar, a briefcase, a trumpet, or simply walking. Sunny is an observer, a mirror, and a mouthpiece for my thoughts.
I work with acrylic, spray paint, and oil on canvas. I collect words, music, and random moments from my everyday life, dissecting them, and reassembling them.
Sunny represents everything that art means to me: presence, movement, calm, doubt, and courage all at the same time.
Biography
Luka Matthias Gruber (born 2004) is a young Austrian artist based in Graz. He discovered his passion for drawing early on, which later shifted into painting.
His works “GOOD ARTISTS COPY GREAT ARTISTS STEAL”, “STAY LOUD”, and “LISTEN TO JAZZ” are not quiet paintings but statements. Each piece acts like a declaration, unapologetic and without restraint. Art, to him, is allowed to be loud, provocative and free to take whatever it wants.
He works with spray paint, acrylic and oil on canvas, using these materials like instruments to make rhythm, tension and attitude visible.
These paintings emerge from stolen impressions. From images that flash by in everyday life, from conversations, lyrics, book fragments, scenes on the street or moments that burn themselves into memory. Nothing is kept as it is. Everything is cut apart, rearranged and transformed into something new.
This is how a visual language forms, one that is unmistakable. Words turn into shapes, figures turn into symbols and every canvas carries this pulse. No explanations. No restraint. Just presence, noise and movement. Art that doesn’t ask, it takes.
On October 31, 2025, he was part of the exhibition “Aspiring Artists”. From October 13 to November 13, 2025, he will present his work at Galerie Papst. From late November to December 2025, around 15 selected paintings will take over the spaces of Raiffeisenbank Gratwein Hitzendorf. A solo exhibition is already planned for March 2026, followed by another one at the municipal building of Seiersberg Pirka in April 2026.
Gruber is also a member of Austria’s oldest art association, the Steiermärkischer Kunstverein Werkbund, and part of its 160-year anniversary publication. He is accompanied by the internationally known artist Herbert Wallner, who recognized his talent early on. This connection not only fuels Gruber’s artistic development but also opens doors to future collaborations beyond Austria.
His goal is to establish a visual language with narrative strength and make it visible across Europe.
His message: “Following my own instincts and not listening to others has taken me far. You have to allow yourself to make mistakes, because your own mistakes are the ones you learn from the most.”