'Strung Up' references stacked stone structures - also known as cairns.

In this piece the rocks are pulled apart and held in place by steel chains.

There is a sharp contrast between the historical and the current in this piece.

This tug of war is emphasised by a contemporary visual language, which juxtaposes the ancient source material of standing stones.

Gemma Holzer (b. 1996) is a Dutch/American artist working full time in London, having obtained an MA in painting from the Royal College of art (2025). Her practice explores the expanded field of painting through a variety of mediums such as oils, acrylics, steel, and ceramics.  

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Gemma Holzer’s work renders a mixture of personal nostalgia and reimagined histories. Her pieces suggest ancient cultures, featuring idols of strange creatures, inhabiting nondescript spaces. They allude to artefacts involved in funerary practices, vessels that hold long forgotten memories.

Holzer draws inspiration from standing stones and other Neolithic sites; relics from distant pasts that hold physical space in the present. This narrative is echoed in her paintings, as she positions references to ancient imagery in contrast with newly manufactured representations, bringing past and present together.

A sense of tension is introduced by way of steel structures, where isolated figures are suspended by chains within metal frameworks. Holzer explores themes surrounding discomfort through her depictions of these strung up creatures. Feelings around disconnection are expressed through averted gazes. Like the relics they reference, their stories remain unknown.

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Gemma Holzer has exhibited her work extensively both nationally and internationally, across solo and group exhibitions, and has had the pleasure of having her work featured in magazines such as Vogue, Tatler, and Harper’s Bazaar.