Holly Keogh:
Overlaps and Interlockings

Holly Keogh’s work offers rich entry points into abstracted, kaleidoscopic realities–containing domestic scenes, lush environments, overlaid portraits and objects of leisure-depicted in lucid washes, pressed pigment or realistic renderings. Emboldened by saturated palettes, Keogh’s paintings reveal layers and nuance, and in her words, “are a way for me to occupy space and explore personas in a fluid way.” They depict both the inner and outer realms, the abstract and figural, the memory and matter.

A dream-like sensibility and cerebral exploration are ever-present in her work, heightening the subtle psychological and emotional resonance at play. She observes, “I’m creating these interior worlds using collage and imagery that I’m..sourcing from the debris of imagery all around us.” By reimagining visuals pulled from her photography as well as found archival material, these paintings become looking glasses that aim to evoke a personalized, visceral response from viewers. Before graduating from UNC-Charlotte with her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 2014, Keogh studied Fine Art and Art History abroad at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. She is also a founding collective member of Goodyear Arts, where her studio space is currently. As Keogh gets closer to her move in Fall 2023 to study Fine Art in the esteemed master’s program at Goldsmiths, University of London, she continues creating avidly in the studio and with community, collecting moments and memories while “imbuing them with a whole other world of meaning.”