Andy Holden creates multi-media installations. Sculpture, performance, video - nothing is untouched in his large inter-conencted works. Saturated with the artist's sense of play, conversation and a child-like absurdity, pieces such as Maximum Irony! Maximum Sincerity become collages on a colossal scale, balancing the two elements referenced in the title to ask the audience how meaning may be found in a world of post-modern irony. He is sincere yet disarmingly self-deprecating, referring to his work as: "quite frankly embarrassing", a trait that just adds to his insistence to bring art as close to life as possible. Holden says "...a work that can have a life outside of a gallery is sometimes the most important thing", and sets about achieving this by using subject matter such as his own father in performances (Lecture on BIrdsong, 2011), paintings of every day objects (Maximum Irony! Maximum Sincerity, 1999-2003) and childhood holiday souvenirs (Pyramid Piece, 2009). Although the concerns behind Holden's work can seem hard to pin down, it is clear that he is not aiming to portray one specific idea but to investigatea broad scope of meaning and understanding through displaying 'chunks' of life that an audience can interact with. The concept of installation work that almost becomes 'pop art' in its close proximity to the every day lives we live appeals to me - as i become more interested in installation and performance works, i have also become increasingly concerned with how to avoid the institutionalisation and 'white cube mentality' that so often comes with such areas. Andy Holden is one of the artists i have looked to in my search to create work that can "...have a life outside of a gallery', that can be relatable and provoke discourse and form relationships with a broad audience, not just those within the bubble of the gallery and art school world.