Holland Cunningham was born in Roanoke, Virginia in 1967. After graduating from University of Virginia with a BA in Art History and Studio Art, Cunningham moved to New York and worked in advertising while continuing her art studies. She studied at the Art Students League, The National Academy of Art, and The New York School of the Arts. Cunningham has been exhibiting with Voltz Clarke Gallery in New York for nearly 20 years, and has been included in a variety of shows in the US and abroad. Most recently Cunningham was a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome in Spring of 2022, and 10 years prior, was a resident at the Bau Institute in Otranto, Italy. She is also a member of Pollen Collective in London, England. Cunningham’s art is in numerous public and private collections all over the world. She currently lives and works in New York and London.Although her preferred medium is oil, Cunningham also works across a variety of media, including gouache, watercolor, fresco, and even short stop motion animations that are often projected into “rooms” or dollhouses she has created. And with most of her animation and dollhouse pieces Cunningham explores the domestic oeuvre. Cunningham’s practice explores themes of memory and the passage of time. Through her exploration of found photography and abandoned places of leisure like swimming pools, tennis courts, and vacation homes, she is able to depict fleeting moments with the hope of capturing the essence of the past. Whether it is an instant frozen in time or a study of more sinister nature, such as an overgrown structure, or an empty room left untouched over time, Cunningham hopes to invite the viewer to explore and connect based on their own experiences.The contrast between the instantaneous nature of photography and the slow deliberate process of transforming them into paintings is compelling to Cunningham. It allows for a deeper examination of intimate moments we often overlook; highlighting their psychological impact and the layers of memories they hold. Whether it is a fresco in an ash covered palazzo in Pompeii, a swimming pool empty and covered in vines, or a family snapshot, all reside in the past but the memory remains, especially as the viewer projects their own history onto the work Cunningham creates. Over time, children grow, landscapes or domestic spaces may change, but what holds her interest is what remains once these moments have long past.