Andrew Pepper has been involved with light and holography for over 20 years. In 1979 he exhibited one of his first projected light sculptures, as a student, at the ICA, London, and a year later his 3-D smoke projection was included in a major survey exhibition of three-dimensional art and imaging at the Museum of Holography, New York. Since then he has shown his light sculptures and holography in group exhibitions world-wide, as well as solo exhibitions in New York, London, Madrid and Toronto.
He became involved with holography in the early 1980’s when he learnt the practical aspects of the medium from two pioneering artists in the field, Dan Schweitzer and Sam Moree, who ran New York Holographic Laboratories in the heart of Manhattan. This studio taught many artists whose work is now considered to be part of the historical development of the medium.
A recent exhibition in Copenhagen, “Lumia”, brought together international artists working with light. Here Pepper was invited to include examples of his projected light sculptures and more recent holographic works, which could be seen alongside major pieces by Dan Flavin, Otto Piene, François Morellet, Alejandro & Moira Siña and Thomas Wilfred.
“Deep Shadows?” will include a site-specific installation, produced for this exhibition, which incorporates metal and holographic surfaces, electric light and shadows cast onto the gallery floor. Pepper has become known for his graphic-based ‘drawn’ holograms where parts of the holographic images are often ‘scratched’ away, allowing light to pass through them and ‘draw’ a new image on the wall behind, or allow colour from the gallery wall to be seen through the holograms. In recent years he has been using smaller and smaller sections of holographic material to add a dimensional and kinetic element to his installations.
Work in “Deep Shadows?” follows on from earlier installations where glass holograms have been mounted directly into the plaster of gallery walls so that they protrude to cast a shadow down the wall and onto the floor. These “Wall Drawings” have been installed in exhibitions in Madrid, Spain; Coventry, UK; Pulheim, Germany and Canton, USA.
Along with the wall and floor installations, to be shown at Gallery 286, there will be previously unexhibited works as well as some of the early pieces which helped establish Pepper’s career.
Not only is Pepper active as a visual artist, but he lectures and writes on the subject of creative holography and consults for a number of arts and media organisations. He lives and works in Nottingham.
Private Views were held on
Thursday June 14th 6.30-8.30pm
Thursday July 12th 6.30-8.30pm
Lamp 3, 2000
Lamp 1, 2001
Centre Column, 1989
Square Eclipse, 1989
Part of the Jonathan Ross Hologram Collection
Colour Study, 1993 (with Eric Krantz)
Part of the Jonathan Ross Hologram Collection
wenty Nine Three, 1993 (with Eric Krantz)