Art21 Extended Play

Where in the World Is Leonardo Drew?

Leonardo Drew visiting the Nazca Lines in Peru. Production still from ART21 Exclusive. © ART21, Inc. 2014.  Courtesy Leonardo Drew.

Leonardo Drew visiting the Nazca Lines in Peru. Production still from ART21 Exclusive. © ART21, Inc. 2014. Courtesy Leonardo Drew.

“I want to learn as much as possible, and I want to give back as much as possible.” —Leonardo Drew

Today’s ART21 Exclusive features Leonardo Drew discussing the importance of travel in relationship to his artwork. “If you allow your antennas to reach out,” he tells a group of students at Vigo Gallery in London, “you’ll find what it is you need for this part of your journey.” Deeply devoted to his studio practice, Drew was initially reluctant to leave his home base in New York for an extended period of time. But back-to-back trips to Peru, Cuba, Spain, and Switzerland led him to a realization: “I could spend that much time out of the studio and not miss the studio because life was going on and art was going on within me,” he explains. “The art is fed by experiences.”

ART21 Exclusive is supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; 21c Museum Hotel, and by individual contributors.

CREDITS: Producer: Ian Forster. Consulting Producers: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interviewers: Nick Ravich & Susan Sollins. Camera: John Marton, Michael Miles, Joel Shapiro, and Andrew David Watson. Sound: Tom Bergin & Andy Paddoa. Editor: Morgan Riles. Artwork Courtesy: Leonardo Drew, Sikkema Jenkins & Co., and Vigo Gallery. Archival Photography Courtesy: Leonardo Drew. Special Thanks: Melissa Diaz. Theme Music: Peter Foley.