Daddy’s + Girls.
About:
Girl – Literature.
“In my collages, memory plays a central part,” says Ms. Holmes.
“In childhood, a loving and supportive community of men and women
nurtured me. In everything I create I hear them saying, ‘Remember Me,’
and through my work I honor their legacies by bringing them forward to
life with torn and cut shapes of found colors and textures. With these
scraps and remnants, assembled like a down-home quilt, I rebuild my world,
putting in what speaks to my personal and cultural narrative.”
Cooling – Water – Lores.
Ekua Holmes is a painter and collage artist who uses vibrant color and skillful composition to infuse her work with energy. Her layered, abstract creations convey a sense of unity and evoke memories that are both personal and universal.
All Weather Friends.
An active member of Boston’s art community and a curator, Holmes debuted as a visual artist in 2000, in the exhibition “Renewal and Regeneration,” which she also curated. Her body of work includes paintings, drawings and mixed media collage, which has become her signature medium.
Holmes’ first solo exhibition, “Second Childhood,” was installed at the Hess Gallery at Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. In late 2004, the Museum of the National Center of Afro American Artists acquired her collage titled “Goree.” Holmes has participated in several group shows and, since 2003, opened her studio workspace in Boston’s historical Piano Factory building during Roxbury Open Studios and South End Open Studios. Her second solo exhibition, “Kindred,” was held at the Sandra and Philip Gordon Gallery at Boston Arts Academy in 2009.
Easter Sunday.
Holmes began her career in 1980 as a graphic designer. She went on to become an art director for the Department of Public Welfare and an independent curator. In 1992, Holmes launched EJ Designs, a design studio specializing in graphic design concepts for Boston’s non-profit community. Holmes is also founder and curator for “Epiphany: Excerpts from the Lives of Black Women Artists,” an annual group exhibition. Most recently Holmes’ works have been added to the collections of the Boston Medical Center, The Boston Arts Academy, and the Boston Children’s Hospital. Holmes is a native of Roxbury, MA and a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
