Leonardo Drew, who divides his time between San Antonio and Brooklyn, New York, is featured in the third and final installment of our yearlong, 15th anniversary tribute to Artpace residents from 1995. The IAIR 95.4 artist is known for using found detritus taken directly from the streets; decaying wood, rusted metal, and varied pieces are placed in a meticulous grid system that lends itself to a non-narrative elliptical reading of form. He uses materials in a symbolic way, inviting viewers to identify things that seem familiar and contemplate how they have been transformed and inhabit a new context.
Throughout his career, Drew has been continuously engaged with the cyclical nature of existence. His formally abstract but emotionally charged compositions have an aesthetic authority and metaphorical weight that is as unique as it is symbolic, transcending time and place in favor of a celebration of things eternal. His practice can be described as a journey toward enlightenment, full of reprises and returns as well as new beginnings.
