Awareness Post - Loie Hollowell

Overview:

• Born: 1983, Woodland, California

• Education: BFA, University of California, Santa Barbara

  • MFA, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond

• Current Residence: New York City

• Gallery Representation: Pace Gallery (New York, Los Angeles, Hong Kong) and Jessica Silverman Gallery (San Francisco)

Artistic Practices and Themes:

Loie Hollowell is an artist whose works go between abstraction and figurative art "half otherworldly and half tensed up in the body." She relies a lot on her own experiences making it easy to see that her paintings and drawings are both personal and universal. Her art is characterized by the use of geometric shape, such as "mandorlas, ogees, and lingams", which makes her visuals highly original and really attractive. She usually arranges her works symmetrically, around a central point, which connects the art to her own body. The artwork uses a lot of primary colors, different textures, and repeating geometric patterns. They seem to be vivid; they somehow remind some artists and viewers of medieval religious symbols. This has to do with the shape of the mandorlas.

Notable Works and Exhibitions:

"Standing in Blue" (2018)

• Medium: Oil paint, acrylic medium, sawdust, and high-density foam on linen mounted on panel

• Dimensions: 72" × 54" × 3-1/2"

• Description: This piece exemplifies Hollowell's exploration of the female form through abstracted geometric shapes and vibrant color gradients.

"Postpartum Plumb Line" (2019)

• Medium: Oil paint, acrylic medium, sawdust, and high-density foam on linen mounted on panel

• Dimensions: 72" × 54" × 3-1/2"

• Exhibited at: Pace Gallery, New York

• Description: This work delves into the physical and emotional experiences of postpartum life, using dimensional forms to represent the body

"Dilation Stage" Series (2024)

• Medium: Pastel on paper

• Description: A series of ten new pastel drawings documenting the dilation stage of labor, displayed sequentially on a rounded wall that reflects the shape of a pregnant belly. These drawings feature depictions of Hollowell’s own pregnant abdomen, rendered to scale

Personal Reflection:

Hollowell's work relates with me because of her ability to transform personal experiences into universal art. Her use of abstraction to represent the female body goes against normal representations. I have been struggling with my own way to expressing content in my work and this artist does this really well. I can learn from her in this way.

Sources:

• loiehollowell.com

• Pace Gallery – Loie Hollowell

• Jessica Silverman – Loie Hollowell