Leonardo Drew: Ubiquity II

Showcasing American artist Leonardo Drew’s explosive sculptural works, the exhibition presented a new immersive sculptural installation covering the walls and floor of the gallery.

Fragments of wood presented in the gallery were distressed, as though they had been through extreme weather events or natural disasters. The installation showcased Drew’s ongoing interests in the tension between order and chaos and the cyclical nature of life and decay, enacted by the transformation of materials by hand in his studio. This process of transformation is repetitive and meditative for Drew, as he explains: “for me, I need to go through the rigours of touching it, living it… I become the weather”.

While Ubiquity II invites audiences to speculate on the ubiquity of materials, Drew refrains from attaching specific meaning to each work, preferring to title his pieces numerically so the viewer can engage directly with the installation and find themselves reflected in the work.

Leonardo Drew lives and works in Brooklyn, New York and San Antonio, Texas. His works have been shown nationally and internationally and are included in numerous public and private collections. Public institutions include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC; and Tate, London; among others.

Leonardo Drew: Ubiquity II was on display at South London Gallery, London, from 30 May until 7 September 2025.