American
b. 1969, Bethesda, Maryland
Lives and works in Bethesda, Maryland

Leslie Holt is well known for paintings that encourage discourse with topics of psychology and mental illness, commercialism and socio-economic divides. She employs unconventional juxtapositions, alluring use of color and contrast, and elements of irony to provoke commentary and emotional response.

About her Hello Masterpiece series, Holt states, I juxtapose the character, Hello Kitty, with famous images from art history. The paintings are postcard size, similar to those found in a museum gift shop. (The works available at Flanders are larger in scale.) The famous paintings become pop culture icons akin to Hello Kitty, reinforcing their role as commodities in a market. In this series Hello Kitty is taking a tour through art history and dressing up to “match” elements of the famous painting. In other images from this series, Hello Kitty is pointing toward social or political issues, such as war, genocide, or gender identity. I rely on her to charm the viewer into looking, but her innocent, playful appeal contrasts with the serious adult subject matter.

Leslie Holt has an extensive exhibition record with shows across the United States. Her years-long project, Hello Masterpiece, has been collected by hundreds of Hello Kitty loving art collectors world-wide.