Allyson Hollingsworth was obsessed with reading from an early age.  Growing up, she was often found curled up in a corner with the Brontes, Poe, Dickinson, and du Maurier. She was raised in a military family, and moved every two to three years across the United States and Germany. Home was wherever her books were, and to this day literature continues to play a central role in her artistic practice. 

Allyson Hollingsworth received an MFA from California Institute of the Arts, and a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design.  Her artwork can be seen in the movie Shopgirl.  She currently lives and works in Oakland, CA.

Artist statement

“I am interested in the fragility of identity and notions of time. Using romantic imagery, my artwork examines the tenuousness of what we remember, how we see ourselves, and how it plays out in internal and external narratives.

My photographs, drawings, sculpture, and installations are inspired by personal stories, Victorian literature, poetry, film, and fashion. Through the juxtaposition of diverse sources, from Emily Dickinson to Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, e.e. cummings to Alexander McQueen, silent films to the novels of Marguerite Duras, symbols from our collective memory emerge, blurring the lines between past and present, fiction and autobiography. 

Gorgeous Nothings is a constellation of miniature night photographs that explore the ephemerality of memory. Taken in the gardens of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland, they represent a fruitless attempt to hold the present moment with the click of the camera’s shutter.

Tiny Gallery Q&A

Just for fun, Tiny Gallery asked Allyson to answer a few questions from Vogue’s 73 Questions, a favorite Q&A that always entertains. Her responses are below:

Where is your favorite place to be? In a garden with a good book

What are 3 words to describe yourself? Creative, empathetic, curious

Where do you get inspiration from? Poetry, historical fashion, 19th century culture

What is your favorite snack food? Dark chocolate

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? You can change the situation or change your mind about the situation

What is the last book that you read? Virginia Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse” again (I love it!)

What celebrity do you want to be BFF’s with? Padma Lakshmi

What is one thing on your bucket list? To learn how to surf

What is your favorite place that you have ever visited? Oxford

What is your guilty pleasure? English murder mysteries and crime dramas

What is your go to coffee order? Latte with whole milk

What is your favorite movie? Bringing Up Baby

What is something that you can’t do but wish you could? Sing like Tracey Thorn

If you could have someone else’s closet, whose would it be? Stella Tennant (RIP) 

What is your favorite day of the week? Saturday

What is your favorite type of breakfast food? Chocolate croissant 

What is your favorite meal to have for dinner? Steak frites

What is your favorite color? Navy blue

What is your guilty pleasure TV show? Outlander

What is the first thing you do when you wake up? Sigh 

What is your favorite season? Autumn 

How do you relax? Tea and a good book

What makes you smile the most? My pup Fiona :)

What is the best gift you’ve ever received? A trip to England

What is a travel must have? Stylish but comfortable shoes

What is your favorite smell? Laphroaig whisky

Were you named after someone? June Allyson

What is your favorite time of the day? Twilight (the golden hour)

If you could travel with anyone, who would it be? My partner, Ron <3

Do you prefer vintage or new? Good quality vintage

What is a skill that you are working on? Hand sewing

What is your dream job? Being an artist full time

If you could live anywhere in the country, where would you live? Near the ocean 

Are you an introvert or extravert? Introvert

What was your first screen name? Kittydeluxe

What is one item that you must have in your purse at all times? Tinted lip balm

What is your favorite fashion trend of all time? 19thc Liberty tea gown