Prospect.3: Notes for Now | Lonnie Holley Tunes an Organ
LONNIE HOLLEY | Xavier University
Using found materials sourced locally in relation to their ultimate sites of display, Lonnie Holley creates sculptures and installations that are intensely personal and otherworldly in scope, touching on subjects ranging from tributes to his mother and other women in his family, to religion, and global politics. Holley’s first works were carved headstones erected in memory of his nieces who died in a house fire, which led to other carvings that would eventually be incorporated in the grand creations he constructed in his yard. His constructions are formed of miscellaneous materials and detritus—including abandoned shoes, animal bones, oil drums, plastic flowers, suitcases, and old furniture—found on his family’s property and in the surrounding areas. Charged with intent, these uncanny objects are more than art—they are powerful relics.
Adapted from the catalogue essay by Lauren Haynes for Prospect.3: Notes for Now
