Morgan Lugo

Artist Statement

Morgan Lugo is a Sicilian/Puerto Rican sculptor based in Atlanta, Georgia, whose work transforms memory into lasting, tangible forms. Working primarily in bronze, she uses the material’s permanence to “memorialize” fleeting moments of personal experience and their enduring impact. Following her recovery from a traumatic brain injury, Lugo became captivated by the intricacies of memory and the neuroplasticity of the healing mind. Her work explores motifs of vertigo, fragmented recollections, and synesthesia, examining how these elements shape our perception of reality.

With over eight years of experience in large-scale bronze foundries, Lugo blends technical mastery with innovative approaches. As a Latinx woman, she honors and redefines her craft, using her intuitive understanding of mold-making and metal casting to develop new techniques that present bronze work in a modern light, reflecting her unique perspective.

Her sculptures investigate how personal and collective memories intertwine, shaping identity and collective history. Lugo draws connections between neural networks and cosmic phenomena, blending the physical and cosmic. She references Indigenous star lore and integrates scientific theories—such as neuroscience, astrophysics, and quantum mechanics—to create forms that merge ancient wisdom with contemporary ideas. Hexagonal prisms, often foundational in her work, symbolize both protein structures in neural pathways and “quanta” in the cosmic web that generate gravity. For Lugo, these compositions are unified by the gravity of emotional resonance within individual experience.

Reinterpreting ancient folklore through personal memory, her art unites the microcosm of human experience with the vastness of the universe. She invites viewers to interpret her work through scientific, cultural, and personal lenses, illustrating how our unique perspectives and cultural influences shape the individuality of our experiences in shared spaces. Her work celebrates the symbiotic relationship between personal and communal memory, showing how individual experiences and perspectives weave seamlessly into the cultural fabric, and how that enriched fabric, in turn, shapes the individual.

Artist Bio

Morgan Lugo earned her BFA in Sculpture from Georgia State University in 2015. Since 2017, she has worked in bronze foundries across the U.S., Germany, and the Caribbean, contributing to large-scale bronze monuments.

Her work has been exhibited at institutions including The High Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, The Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, and The Metal Museum. In 2019, her work was acquired by the city of Atlanta for the Fulton County Public Art Permanent Collection.

In 2020, Lugo was selected for the inaugural Arts and Social Justice Fellowship at Emory University. Her first solo exhibition, When The World Feels Weightless, took place at Day and Night Galleries in Atlanta in 2022. In 2023, she collaborated with UPS, The University of North Georgia, and The Steffen Thomas Museum on projects promoting Hispanic/Latinx art.

In 2024, Lugo’s solo show, As Above, So Below, was displayed at The Upstate Gallery at the University of South Carolina Upstate, followed by her museum solo debut, It’s All Relative, at The Keeler Gallery at The Metal Museum in Memphis. She also installed her first permanent public art piece, Technicolor Timescape, in collaboration with Dashboard CO-OP and The City of Brookhaven Arts and Culture Commission.