Hudson (Show)Room

Rebecca Holland

San Antonio, TX

January 15–March 15, 1998

about the artist

Born in Colorado Springs, CO in 1962, Rebecca Holland lives and works in San Antonio, TX. Holland holds an M.F.A. in ceramic sculpture from the University of Massachusetts, and a B.A. in ceramics and painting from Bennington College, Vermont. Holland is an Adjunct Professor of Art at San Antonio College. Her work has been exhibited in San Antonio at House Space and Milagros Contemporary Art Gallery; The Bemis Center for the Arts, Omaha, Nebraska; Jane Hartsook Gallery, New York; and most recently, at the Arlington Museum of Art, Texas.

Holland’s background as a sculptor and ceramicist informs her use of materials and an approach to working with space. In recent years, she has been working almost exclusively with wax, creating minimalist paintings and objects, notable for their balance of mass and intimate scale. With influences ranging from Agnes Martin and Robert Ryman to Eva Hesse and Fred Sandbach, Holland’s works are remarkable for their quiet, reductive poetry.

about the exhibition

For her installation at ArtPace, Holland has responded to the essential qualities of The Hudson (Show)Room’s space: the soothing southern light filtered through original frosted casement windows and the horizontal plane of the reflective waxed concrete floor. A niche of the room has been bisected diagonally with a tilted wall of dental floss, strung like a harp. Entitled Downhill, this transparent, reclining wall separates the viewer from the space it defines. Light and air penetrate this subtle plane, inviting contemplation and resolve. Opposite Downhill, Holland has applied a thick coat of beeswax to a long wall for a piece called Snowfield I, contributing a sweet odor to the room. The surface is still, with drips, bubbles and rubs evident—a liquid becoming solid. The wall has a sheen that captures the southern light, reflecting it to and from the highly waxed concrete floors. A second wall (Snowfield II) is partially covered with wax, placed to absorb the afternoon western light. Holland’s considerate installation brings attention to the inherent qualities of the viewer’s location, where light, liquid, air and space transcend their chemical functions to become emotional and spiritual.

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