Holly Allan

Holly Allan is a London based artist working predominantly in embroidery. She completed her BA Hons in Illustration and Visual Media at London College of Communication, UAL 2017 and now works at her home studio in London. Taking inspiration from everything in her orbit, from nature to the female nude to portraiture - she enjoys the very intimate, meditative and methodical medium of embroidery to show her interpretation of her environment. Oscillating between figuration and abstraction, the figurative pieces riff on the idea of the Vitruvian man only here the paradigm of the ideal human form is a woman in all her glory, rendered in tender striking poses drawn in thread, with rigorous geometric patterns to compliment the curves of the female form. Holly’s abstract work stems from the relationship between city and nature, no matter how hard we try to push nature away it will always find a way through. Weeds in pavements, plants growing out of walls, nature will always conquer. With this in mind Holly intertwines her threads like shoots or roots round and through architectural forms, celebrating human endeavour with natures will.