ARTISTS
Andrew Leventis & Holly Keogh: Proposal For a Story
SOCO Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Proposal for a Story, a two-person exhibition of new paintings by artists Holly Keogh and Andrew Leventis. The gallery will host a public opening reception with the artists on Wednesday, November 12th from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. This will be Keogh’s third exhibition with SOCO Gallery and Leventis’ second.
In Proposal for a Story, Keogh and Leventis explore intimacy through paintings of interiors and the slow revelation of detail. Using the common subjects of a still life, both Keogh and Leventis invite viewers into typically private spaces, asking one to identify objects and craft their own narratives. They fill their compositions with meaningful objects — traces of stories that the viewer is invited to finish — while alsoevoking the gesture of what is important to carry with us from the present into the future, whether a case of belongings or a memory.
American poet Kim Gordon’s 1977 poem "Proposal For A Story” makes what appear to be simple observations: “an empty room, a kitchen table, two chairs…” Their careful consideration of the space reveals a thorough identification of objects and space, and a story begins to unfold in a similar manner to Keogh and Leventis’ paintings.
Keogh’s paintings surround interior spaces not so different from those described by Gordon. In Serene and Secluded, the viewer is placed in an unknown room looking through a window to the outside. Little is revealed about the interior of the space besides large, bustling curtains in a deep pink. The window, slightly ajar, asks the viewer to contemplate the space they have been positioned in while also noticing the subtleties of the exterior that unfolds in front of them. Cutlery (Portobello Road) depicts a briefcase of shining silverware, familiar yet mundane objects. Yet, Keogh utilizes the mirror of the silverware to reveal a story as a woman’s face stares back in the reflection. Is she looking at herself? Taking a picture? Looking for a specific piece of the set? Keogh’s other still lifes are not stylized scenes but observations of the space, painted in a dream-like haze.
Leventis vividly paints opened suitcases that explore domestic life, memory, and identity. The suitcases carry the intimate objects of someone's life: the clothes they wear, the toothpaste they use, and the books they read. Whereas most of the items can clearly be seen, some are hidden behind a lining, only allowing the observer a peek at the possessions underneath — making them question what the items might be and what significance they might hold for the suitcase’s owner. In Darkened Mirror, Leventis distorts our view of a still life of flowers. One only sees the reflection and must narrate their own perception of the object through a stained mirror in an otherwise bright and clean space.
Not only are Keogh and Leventis’ works connected by theme, but also by their shared artistic backgrounds and upbringings as both artists received their Master of Fine Arts from Goldsmith University in London — Keogh recently in 2025 and Leventis in 2012. Keogh, a former student of Leventis’ at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, currently resides in London while Leventis lives and works in Charlotte, where Keogh is also from. In Proposal for a Story, Keogh and Leventis’ work unites for the first time at a new level.
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SOCO Gallery is pleased to announce the opening of Proposal for a Story, a two-person exhibition of new paintings by artists Holly Keogh and Andrew Leventis. The gallery will host a public opening reception with the artists on Wednesday, November 12th from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. This will be Keogh’s third exhibition with SOCO Gallery and Leventis’ second.
In Proposal for a Story, Keogh and Leventis explore intimacy through paintings of interiors and the slow revelation of detail. Using the common subjects of a still life, both Keogh and Leventis invite viewers into typically private spaces, asking one to identify objects and craft their own narratives. They fill their compositions with meaningful objects — traces of stories that the viewer is invited to finish — while alsoevoking the gesture of what is important to carry with us from the present into the future, whether a case of belongings or a memory.
American poet Kim Gordon’s 1977 poem "Proposal For A Story” makes what appear to be simple observations: “an empty room, a kitchen table, two chairs…” Their careful consideration of the space reveals a thorough identification of objects and space, and a story begins to unfold in a similar manner to Keogh and Leventis’ paintings.
Keogh’s paintings surround interior spaces not so different from those described by Gordon. In Serene and Secluded, the viewer is placed in an unknown room looking through a window to the outside. Little is revealed about the interior of the space besides large, bustling curtains in a deep pink. The window, slightly ajar, asks the viewer to contemplate the space they have been positioned in while also noticing the subtleties of the exterior that unfolds in front of them. Cutlery (Portobello Road) depicts a briefcase of shining silverware, familiar yet mundane objects. Yet, Keogh utilizes the mirror of the silverware to reveal a story as a woman’s face stares back in the reflection. Is she looking at herself? Taking a picture? Looking for a specific piece of the set? Keogh’s other still lifes are not stylized scenes but observations of the space, painted in a dream-like haze.
Leventis vividly paints opened suitcases that explore domestic life, memory, and identity. The suitcases carry the intimate objects of someone's life: the clothes they wear, the toothpaste they use, and the books they read. Whereas most of the items can clearly be seen, some are hidden behind a lining, only allowing the observer a peek at the possessions underneath — making them question what the items might be and what significance they might hold for the suitcase’s owner. In Darkened Mirror, Leventis distorts our view of a still life of flowers. One only sees the reflection and must narrate their own perception of the object through a stained mirror in an otherwise bright and clean space.
Not only are Keogh and Leventis’ works connected by theme, but also by their shared artistic backgrounds and upbringings as both artists received their Master of Fine Arts from Goldsmith University in London — Keogh recently in 2025 and Leventis in 2012. Keogh, a former student of Leventis’ at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, currently resides in London while Leventis lives and works in Charlotte, where Keogh is also from. In Proposal for a Story, Keogh and Leventis’ work unites for the first time at a new level.
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