Holly Lowen: Entanglement
Simchowitz Hill House, Pasadena
February 23 – March 30, 2025
Simchowitz presents Entanglement, Holly Lowen’s first solo exhibition at Hill House, Pasadena. HOLLY LOWEN shares her latest body of work, an evocative exploration of evolutionary psychology, sport, and domestication through the dynamic interplay of figuration and abstraction.
Raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Holly Lowen holds a BA in Art History from Duke University and a degree in Interior Architecture from The New School. Currently completing her MFA at the New York Academy of Art, Lowen works across pen, charcoal, oil, and pastel, crafting compositions that delve into the complexities of human and animal behavior.
Lowen’s work reflects a continuous evolution, beginning with experimentation in abstraction rooted in figuration. Her early pieces play with color, form, and composition, deconstructing the subject to explore emotional resonance beyond literal representation.
A pivotal shift is evident in her “Flamingo Series,” which investigates defense mechanisms in the natural world—spikes, scales, and other protective traits—and their psychological parallels in humans. Flamingos, emblematic of both grace and vulnerability, become metaphors for self-protection, their intertwined forms symbolizing mutual defense and the fragility inherent in connection.
Her exploration deepens with an introspective series examining the psychological landscape of tennis—a sport she views as a fascinating study in controlled aggression and social performance. The sterile uniformity of all-white attire, the isolated confines of the court, and the tension veiled beneath polite decorum evoke themes of repression and release.
Holly Lowen dissects the mental rigor and existential underpinnings of the sport, viewing it as a microcosm of human struggle—where precision, repetition, and control are both liberating and confining—a reference to scholarship on sport and sports psychology, such as David Foster Wallace’s collection of essays written on tennis titled “String Theory”.
Her entangled figures, set within formalized social structures, challenge perceptions of societal norms and boundaries. Inspired by the dynamic battle scenes of Peter Paul Rubens and Old Master studies, Holly Lowen reinterprets these influences through a contemporary lens, crafting a haunting critique of polite society’s suppression of passion and aggression.
Holly Lowen’s paintings interrogate the paradox of human nature: the coexistence of civility and primal instinct. Her work reveals the contained animal within, navigating the thin line between composure and chaos.
Similarly, Albert Camus’ reflections on sports psychology resonate through her work, particularly his view of sports as a metaphor for the absurdity of human existence. Camus explored how athletic endeavors embody the tension between the repetitive pursuit of perfection and the inherent meaninglessness of that pursuit, mirroring the broader existential struggle. For Holly Lowen, this manifests in the portrayal of tennis as both a disciplined ritual and an absurd exercise in controlled aggression, revealing the fragility of societal structures and the human desire to impose order on chaos.
STAN EDMONSON: Selected Sculptures
An outdoor presentation of sculptures by Stan Edmondson will be on view throughout the property, providing a wonderful opportunity to engage with Edmondson’s sculpture in an open-air setting.
Stan Edmondson (b. 1962, Pasadena, CA), lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Grounded in the Bauhaus philosophy of integrating craft and fine art, Edmondson works primarily with homemade clay, embracing both aesthetic and technical complexities.
Also on view an ongoing exhibition of Selected Works by KEN TAYLOR REYNAGA, in the Simchowitz Small Barn.
SIMCHOWITZ HILL HOUSE
Pasadena, California 91104
