Installation Artist Jeremy Holmes Makes Philadelphia Debut with his Largest Abstract Wood Sculpture Yet

Installation artist Jeremy Holmes will design a bent wood sculpture specifically for Drexel's Leonard Pearlstein Gallery

A massive ribbon-like wood sculpture by installation artist Jeremy Holmes will be on display from Wednesday, Aug. 6 – Sunday, Sept. 28 as part of an exhibition designed by the artist specifically for Drexel University’s Leonard Pearlstein Gallery.

While Holmes’ site-specific bent wood installations generally vary in length from 12 feet to a quarter-mile long, this will be his largest installation yet. The exhibition, entitled ‘Convergence,’ marks Holmes’ Philadelphia debut.

“The Pearlstein Gallery’s large space, movable walls and high ceilings make it the perfect blank canvas for Holmes’ to create something that will excite visitors,” said Pearlstein Gallery assistant Marnie Lersch, a graduate student in the Westphal College's arts administration program, who curated the exhibition. “This exhibition offers the public the ability to view the installation inside and out. Visitors can move into and through the installation becoming, at least momentarily, a part of the exhibition. This will enhance the viewer’s understanding of the relationship between artwork and the places artwork inhabits.”

“The Pearlstein Gallery’s large space, movable walls and high ceilings make it the perfect blank canvas for Holmes’ to create something that will excite visitors,” said Pearlstein Gallery assistant Marnie Lersch, a graduate student in the Westphal College's arts administration program, who curated the exhibition. “This exhibition offers the public the ability to view the installation inside and out. Visitors can move into and through the installation becoming, at least momentarily, a part of the exhibition. This will enhance the viewer’s understanding of the relationship between artwork and the places artwork inhabits.”

Using five varieties of North American hardwoods, Holmes explores the contrasts between the abstract shapes of bent wood and the geometric rooms the pieces inhabit. Holmes uses space in original and unexpected ways, filling voids in interiors that would otherwise go unnoticed and allowing the viewer to experience the work from within. His work pushes interactions between the viewer and site in order to evoke a renewed interest in a traditional material.

“Through his work, Holmes depicts the tension and energy that exudes from each curving loop of wood and the beauty of color variations from the different types of wood,” said Lersch. “The bent wood pushes against the boundaries of the white rectangular walls in a way that’s reminiscent of how nature constantly pushes back against the manmade.”

“Through his work, Holmes depicts the tension and energy that exudes from each curving loop of wood and the beauty of color variations from the different types of wood,” said Lersch. “The bent wood pushes against the boundaries of the white rectangular walls in a way that’s reminiscent of how nature constantly pushes back against the manmade.”

Holmes grew up in Cooperstown, New York, and studied at the State University of New York at New Paltz, where he graduated with a BFA in Sculpture in 2007. He currently lives and works in Ithaca, New York.

The Leonard Pearlstein Gallery, part of Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, is committed to exhibiting novel and experimental art in all contemporary mediums including digital, video, sculpture, photography, graphics and fashion design. Located in Westphal College’s renovated URBN Annex, the Pearlstein Gallery has over 3,500 square feet and invites the public to view exhibitions free of charge. For more information, click here.