Holly Hendry
Overview
Holly Hendry’s site-responsive sculptures and installations are concerned with what lives beneath the surface, from hidden underground spaces to the interior workings of the body. Casting is central to the artist’s process in which she uses an array of materials, including steel, glass, Jesmonite, silicone, ash, lipstick, soap, foam, marble, aluminium and grit.
Holly Hendry’s site-responsive sculptures and installations are concerned with what lives beneath the surface, from hidden underground spaces to the interior workings of the body. Casting is central to the artist’s process in which she uses an array of materials, including steel, glass, Jesmonite, silicone, ash, lipstick, soap, foam, marble, aluminium and grit.
Hendry’s allusion to the skin as the visible ‘container’ of the body is combined with cartoon-like illustrations of anatomy, food and detritus. The artist’s projects often directly reference scientific research. Through collaboration with scientists and by conducting her own experimentation, Hendry engages with subjects such as material re-use and how the skin functions as both a barrier and a material that facilitates connection.
The artist’s first solo show in the USA opened at SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia in February 2024. Also in February, a new commission was installed at Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre in London for the group exhibition, ‘When Forms Come Alive’. A public work commissioned by theCoLAB was installed at the Artist’s Garden, Temple, London in July 2023. Other recent public sculptures include ‘Lip-sync’, STEAMhouse, Birmingham, commissioned by Eastside Projects in partnership with Birmingham City University (2023) and ‘Sump’, Esch2022 European Capital of Culture, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg (2022).