Drew Leshko – Home is where you park it

Drew Leshko – Home is where you park it

By Arden de Raaij

Very few would consider an ‘ordinary’ garbage dumpster as art. Yet Philadelphia based artist Drew Leshko has the skill to make you look at your surroundings and every day buildings in a new, appreciative way. Drew takes the time out of his day to create paper miniatures of his current and past surroundings. Dumpsters, iceboxes, campers, bodega’s, vending carts; all the things that are (or eventually will be) replaced by a newer, shinier version of themselves, making us wail with nostalgia when we see the old-school versions. With pinpoint precision Drew recreates these elements in a 1:12 scale, including whatever graffiti, dirt or decay the objects might contain.

His most recent series of work is called “Home is where you park it” and contains fantastic sculptures of camper trailers and motor homes. These works will be shown at SCOPE Art Fair, Miami Beach this December (part of Art Basel week) with both Paradigm Gallery, Philadelphia and Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles.  In addition, there will be a solo show of Drew Leshko at Paradigm Gallery in March of 2016.

'DREAMY 001' by Drew Leshko
‘DREAMY 001’ by Drew Leshko

Drew: “For my new series of work “Home is where you park it”, I’m creating paper sculptures of RV’s (camper trailers and motorhomes).  Drawn to the these subjects through fleeting memories of my childhood spent camping in motorhomes and camper trailers, paired with recent trips revisiting some of these older and decaying campgrounds.  My work always aims to include references to the temporary and our ever-changing culture and my recent experiences leave me wondering if there is the same amount of interest in this lifestyle anymore? In a culture  obsessed with tech gadgets and our digital age — I aim to emphasize the trend of diminishing outdoor activities and our appreciation of our natural world through my sculptural documentary-style works.   I’m hoping that this series brings back memories to viewers who have had similar experiences with outdoor exploration and adventures while also creating an archive of these older body-style vehicles.”