This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
Buzz, click. Lowkey Lyss reached down and switched on the light extruding from the face of “PPG HOTLINE.” The wall-hanging sculpture resembles a vintage Fisher-Price Chatter Phone and features a rubbery coiled phone cord that moves when touched. The phone’s cheerful face, illuminated by its shining lightbulb nose, reflected the morning light that streamed through the windows.
This is Lyss’ home studio. Located in a Decatur apartment complex, it offers polished concrete floors and tall white walls, perfect for showcasing the artist’s ever-expanding array of wall-hanging sculptures. One area that might traditionally house a dining table is equipped as a mini-studio with a large workstation surrounded by lights. An oversized woodcut of a watch sat there, still in progress, while other pieces in various stages of completion lined nearby surfaces and walls.
Lyss (they/them) describes their work, for lack of a better term, as pop art. Using hand-cut and painted wood which is then coated in resin and accented by LED lighting elements, Lyss crafts nostalgic pieces that evoke fond childhood memories.
Credit: Photo by Isadora Pennington
Credit: Photo by Isadora Pennington
Infused with humor, Lyss’ works often mash together multiple genres or references in one piece. One such work, “ASTRO X WOODY,” is a combination of Woody from “Toy Story” with the face of famous comic book character Astro Boy. In another, “PATRICK X BUU,” Sponge Bob’s Patrick Star dons the garb of Majin Buu from the anime TV series “Dragon Ball Z.” The works are playful, interactive, nostalgic and increasingly tech-driven.
“I’m inspired by anything that feels nostalgic and inherently American media,” Lyss said. “It’s universal — everybody knows it, pinpoints it and can connect with it.”
Central to Lyss’ work is a deep and lasting love for their late mother, also an artist, who inspired Lyss to pursue art since they were a child. “I’ve been drawing my whole life,” said Lyss, who recalled drawing “doodles in class and stuff like that. I thought it was just a natural thing that everybody could do; I had seen my mom do it, and I could do it, too.”
Lyss grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and as a child watched as their mother airbrushed popular cartoons on T-shirts featuring characters from “Super Mario Bros.,” “The Simpsons” and the like.
“I think that actually really influenced me because I wanted to be like her, but do it my own way. Sometimes, I do still use her air compressor,” Lowkey said. In the wake of their mother’s sudden passing in August 2024, the love of art that they shared has become even more personal for Lyss.
At the time, they were working on a series of balloon sculptures and had recently picked up a Mylar balloon from the grocery store just for fun. It reads, “You’re so special,” a phrase that their mother often said to Lyss. It now resides — deflated but in a place of pride — on the side of their fridge.
In addition to the nostalgic elements of their works, Lyss also has an affinity for adding tangible elements as a way to connect with early memories that are often tied to sensory experiences. On the sculptural balloons, for example, the attached strings could be made of just about anything, but instead the artist used the same strings that you would get with the purchase of a regular helium balloon in a store.
“With my balloons, I could have just done a balloon with a straight balloon and resin, but [I enjoy] giving you something to feel, too, like the string; things that are movable,” Lyss said. “When you think back to certain things from your childhood, a lot of it is sensory.” On the works that include an LED lighting element, the artist enjoys that the owner can customize the piece by changing the backlights.
Credit: Photo by Isadora Pennington
Credit: Photo by Isadora Pennington
“There’s more to your space than the walls,” said Lyss, discussing other fun design choices reflected in their housewares and accessories. Next to the couch rests a massive traffic light with a basketball-turned-planter perched on top. Painted Be@rbrick sculptures, a box of KAWS-themed Reese’s Puffs cereal preserved in an acrylic box and oversized LEGO bricks occupy a table nearby. Just inside the front door is a “Mortal Kombat” arcade game, and, around the corner, a vintage Gameboy sits next to a selection of collectible zines.
“I love filling (walls) up, but, when it comes to your space and your home, there’s so much other art to it,” they said. “Half of the pieces that I have found, I customized.”
As an empath, Lyss feels a need for surroundings that evoke happiness. “Those little things, I don’t know, they make you happy. Every part of your home should make you feel something. I want to make things that you could look at in every corner and see something that brings you comfort.”
Before moving to Atlanta in 2017, Lyss attended Broward College in metro Miami in pursuit of an IT degree. Ultimately, the program left the artist unsatisfied, and they withdrew from classes.
“Something was missing,” said Lyss. “One day I just decided to paint and just do it. It made me feel better — and whole — so I just kept doing it daily.”
With no social media accounts then outside of a Tumblr which they used to track their progress as an artist, Lyss was surprised to learn that Complex magazine had reposted one of their works on Instagram.
“It got a lot of feedback and comments,” Lyss said. “That was just like validation for me, and it’s when the Internet became how I push my artwork. It had gotten feedback before I was even looking for it.”
At that point, Lyss got on Instagram and has been posting on the platform, and later on TikTok, ever since. Shortly after that, they opted to leave Fort Lauderdale for Atlanta. “I just didn’t feel like I fit in; culturally, I felt like I connected with Atlanta.”
For the first two summers living in Atlanta, Lyss would set up on the sidewalks of Little Five Points to sell their canvas works and prints. “Just out here trying every day,” they recalled. “I was just painting and showing it to people. They connected with it.”
Art is one of the main ways that Lyss connects with others. “I like to be private and just keep to myself,” they said with a chuckle.
“I don’t take photos. I don’t do all that extra stuff. I wasn’t on the Internet before I was making art, and it’s not about me at all.” Lyss keeps their online identity vague, never posting anything that shows their face, gender or real name.
Credit: Photograph by Isadora Pennington
Credit: Photograph by Isadora Pennington
“The way that I present myself on the Internet, it forces people to think only about the art,” the said. “I’m showing the best part of me — what I’m doing, what I can create and put out into the world. I’ll be personal through that.”
Over the years, Lyss’ circle in Atlanta has organically grown. “I am so grateful for art for giving me a family here,” they said. These days, Lowkey regularly attends art openings and events with a core group of friends.
At the heart of everything that Lyss does is an interest in helping people and a desire to honor their mother’s legacy.
“I put smiles on faces,” they said, “I’m doing my part. I don’t feel like the sad parts of being a human have to be part of the connection to other people. Mine is a curated connection.”
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Isadora Pennington is ArtsATL’s senior editor of art + design and dance. An experienced writer and photographer with a deep love for the arts, Pennington founded the Sketchbook newsletter with Rough Draft Atlanta in 2022. She is also president of the Avondale Arts Alliance and director of the Avondale Arts Center.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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