Holly Streekstra explores the transformative journey from raw scientific data to captivating visual representations of celestial objects. The images on display focus on our perception of space by reinventing unseen data.

Telescopes, instruments of scientific inquiry, extend our vision beyond the visible spectrum into realms of infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays, and radio waves. These wavelengths, though invisible to the naked eye, carry profound information about our universe. Through meticulous processing and color mapping, scientists transform this data into vibrant, false-color images that illuminate intricate details and characteristics previously hidden from view.

Holly’s work draws a parallel between the raw scientific images and the photographic process. Like telescopic images that capture photons on pixels, her photograms capture light on photosensitive paper in the darkroom, creating tonal compositions akin to the data collected by space instruments. These raw, elemental forms serve as a foundation upon which her encaustic works build – introducing symbology, color, and texture to reinterpret our celestial environment.

Through this artistic dialogue between science and art, Holly invites viewers to reconsider the boundaries of perception and the nature of visual truth. Her aim is to evoke wonder and introspection, challenging us to contemplate the vastness of space and our place within it, all through the prism of artistic interpretation.

Holly, based in Minneapolis, is a versatile artist working with video, sound, movement, installation, image, and object making. Her work has been showcased at venues like SooVAC, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival, and Franconia Sculpture Park in Minnesota, as well as the Invisible Dog (Brooklyn) and Good Children Gallery (New Orleans). Holly was a 2016 Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Fellow and a 2013 Fulbright Teaching Scholar in Hungary. She holds a BFA from the University of Minnesota and an MFA from Louisiana State University.