Hold Close

by Laura Kern

To hold something close can be an act of care, an enclosing of something precious within an embrace of protection. A tender act with an intrinsic instinct to shield and preserve. Holding close exists in a delicate balance between gentleness and restraint, between protection and warning.

This exhibition lingers within that tension. When does protection soothe and when does it constrict? When does an embrace offer safety, and when does it signal vulnerability? The works explore these questions by cocooning metal in fabric, creating forms that act as both shield and signal.

Through these acts of cocooning, rigid structures are swaddled and partially obscured, suggesting both care and containment. The gesture invites viewers to reflect on their own relationships to holding close. How do we protect, and how do we care for what is precious?