LoU Zeldis

LoU Zeldis [1944 – 2012] was a creative genius: an artist, a collector, a some-time actor, a dancer, a shaman, and a supporter of all things beautiful, mystical, ancient, and new. His extraordinarily rich genre-defying oeuvre, produced over five decades, includes wearable sculptures, jewellery, basket-work object, and hand-made textiles.  

In his work, ancient, antique, and modern materials of both common and uncommon nature are vitalised and enhanced through surprising juxtaposition.

Zeldis’ talismanic arrangements see world-forms netted and knotted together. Natural shapes- from ancient stone spindle whorls and Pre-Columbian ceramic fragments, to painted Chinese Lilly pods and neolithic snake vertebrae inlaid with coloured beads - are paired with industrial debris such as zippers, rubber toys and smashed vinyl records. Coming together in meditative harmony, these cross-cultural charms abound with a unique and intelligent reverence for material.

Zeldis was born in Santa Monica, California, in 1944. After an extraordinary childhood spent in Hiroshima, Japan, he returned to the States in 1963 to pursue his love of theatre. 

In New York City, he collaborated with directorial luminaries such as Peter Brook and Andre Serbin. He danced beside Ann Margaret in the Hollywood classic, Bye Bye Birdie (1963), and was an important member of the experimental La MaMa theatre in the Bowery until the 1990s. 

Zeldis spent three formative years in Peru between 1970 - 1973, where he devoted himself to the study of esoteric traditions of decorating the body. From 1980 until his death in 2012, he spent six months of the year in Bali, Indonesia, where he reimagined ancient textile and jewellery techniques with compelling originality. The remainder of his creative time was divided between New York City, Los Angeles and Japan.