Jessica Holmes
Jessica Holmes’s work is situated at a point in space where past and present can be experienced simultaneously, deepening and reaffirming the sense of place. Often, her focus lies on dilapidated buildings or gardens — sometimes even those that have vanished entirely and must be rediscovered through archival collections and historical remnants.
Her practice merges archival materials with historical sites, using elements from both to center attention on artefacts and locations, while questioning memory and interpretation. These archival holdings act as props — catalysts for narrative creation — inviting contemplation of a place during the moments it was most closely linked to human consciousness, as well as in its states of decay and potential renewal.
Her work also addresses the theatricality of flowers, as designed by humankind to pay tribute to both joy and grief. In art and in life, they have become the stage designs and settings for our consciousness. By conjuring them back to life from antique lists, Jessica’s work recreates the artifices of past eras, blurring the boundary between natural memory and cultural construction.
Her practice has evolved in terms of technique, employing glazes of acrylic to build up and pull back elements within each piece. This process is vital to her, as it allows the paintings to reveal themselves gradually over time — a past being dredged up rather than offered as an immediate impression. As the painting unfolds, so too does the story, and with it, a deeper insight.
Her work dwells on the threshold between exterior and interior, where rambling vegetation and peeling, decaying surfaces come together in painting. This fusion evokes a sense of flux and constant transformation — a dynamic, whimsical state of movement. Jessica draws inspiration from the landscapes of Thomas Gainsborough, the energetic florals of Inka Essenhigh, and the meditative practices of Sue Williams A‘Court. The historically grounded work of Anselm Kiefer has also played a pivotal role in shaping her vision, particularly his belief that, “Ruins, for me, are the beginning…. With the debris, you can construct new ideas. They are symbols of a beginning.”
