Vienna, September 2008. The then 15-year-old Lukas Charwat took his first step into THE Austrian multimedia master workshop, namely the Höhere Graphische Bundes-, Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt. The 5 years flew by before he passed his school-leaving and diploma exams with distinction in 2013. While still at school, he realized that he wanted to become self-employed. No sooner said than done – he started setting up his Chaluk Universe. But why Chaluk? Well, Lukas Charwat sounded a bit uncreative to the young creative and so the artist name Chaluk was born without further ado.

Just two months after leaving school, Chaluk not only landed a great job, but also fulfilled a lifelong dream. As one of the few non-Spanish nationals, he was given the opportunity to take to the pitch at Camp Nou, FC Barcelona‘s home stadium. For four years, he accompanied FC Barcelona’s top stars around the world at all their matches. It should be no secret that during this time, sensational pictures were taken alongside unique memories. In May 2014, Chaluk opened his archive to a select audience and gave exclusive insights into his second home and his time at FC Barcelona with the exhibition “THIS IS BARCELONA“.

Alongside soccer, Chaluk’s second great passion is diving and underwater photography. During his time at FC Barcelona, he explored almost the entire globe, diving in the most remote places and collecting material for various exhibitions. With “BUBBLE“, “TRIPLET“, “WONDERS OF THE WEST” and “BA’ROCK“, he delighted over 155,000 visitors to the Vienna Holiday Fair every year until 2018. In September 2018, he opened his exhibition “STRANGER” at the mediclass health club in Vienna.

In 2014, Chaluk won his first national award at the Kurier Fotoawards, before the international expert juries took notice of him and he won one award after another with his photos – to date, he has received more than 70 international awards & honors.

The big breakthrough came in February 2019 – Chaluk reached number 1 in the worldwide ranking of “Best Of The Best Photographers 2018” by OneEyeland.

March 2020: Lockdown. Standstill. Not for Chaluk. He quickly recognized the need to represent Austria both nationally and internationally with a movement. The comprehensive concept of “Nothing Like Austria“, an initiative to promote the tourism, art and culture sectors, was born. The concept resulted in a short film of the same name, which depicts the events surrounding the coronavirus pandemic in a humorous way and conveys the core message that every crisis can only be overcome together. Chaluk laid the foundation for the initiative, which will produce many more topics and milestones.

Chaluk was given the opportunity to present himself to a wide audience for the first time in his own gallery in the huma eleven shopping center on more than 400m². Chaluk knew that this would only be possible with a new exhibition and developed “FAITH“. The grand opening on July 9 was attended by numerous celebrities from the worlds of culture, sport and politics. In October, the gallery was equipped with a new edition of “WONDERS OF THE WEST” before Chaluk decided to expand the photo exhibition with a photo studio in December . Since then, the studio has given him the opportunity to offer his services to end customers. With success – visitors appreciate the relaxed, feel-good atmosphere and Chaluk’s creative ideas and high level of professionalism. In his studio, he not only tells stories with his pictures, but also presents his own fashion collection. Chaluk is also gradually making a name for himself outside of pure photography. As a multimedia expert , he looks after musician Dennis Jale and Paralympics winner Thomas Geierspichler, is responsible for the graphic design of the magazine “Cercle Diplomatique” and holds one of the internal photographer positions at SK Rapid Wien.

“FAITH” grew in the summer of 2022. At the end of July, Chaluk opened the exhibition “FAITH – THE SECOND WAVE” at the Neufeldersee Hotel, with which he wants to present a complete ecosystem and create access to raise awareness of the added value of the underwater world in people’s minds. The vernissage was supported by many friends and celebrities, accompanied by music from Dennis Jale, Mikka Stokkinen and Benji Hösel and concluded with rocking beats from DJ André Jayden.