Throughout his career, Drew's formally abstract but emotionally charged compositions, made to resemble the detritus of everyday life, have combined qualities of painting and sculpture. Transcending any specific historic and ethnic reference his work has a unique aesthetic authority that is deeply embedded in the theory and practice of mid-20th-century abstraction. In 2004 Drew began to create sculptures using paper replicas of his collection of cast-off items to create a new visual poetry of lightness and simplicity, culminating most recently in his installation Number 123 (2006). This brand new volume, and accompanying exhibition, studies these recent developments, and presents a new installation conceived for the exhibition, Drew's grandest and most ambitious piece to date. Over 90 selected paintings realized between 1991 and 2005, and recent works on paper made between 2005 and 2008, offer a representative survey of Drew's artistic development and the new direction of his work.
