The Second Ruin brings together artists Henry Glover & Miya Kosowick in a space where myth and history dissolve and reform. Through a process of call and response, the work of both artists in situ together forms an intricate web across found and made objects; spanning paint, lichen, clay, and wax. Glover and Kosowick do not co-create singular works but instead develop individual pieces that engage in an ongoing, shifting dialogue. Some pairings face the viewer directly, while others create unexpected echoes.
Loosely inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker in its aesthetics along with literary references such as Rings of Saturn by W. G. Sebald, and The Second Body by Daisy Hildyard, the exhibition unfolds like a dreamlike journey through time and memory. Dim lighting, aged textures, and the traces of hinoki incense immerse visitors in an environment where history feels both tangible and elusive. Fractured artifacts, eroded sculptures, and shadowed figures create an atmosphere of quiet tension, mirroring the impermanence of identity and narrative. Rejecting the immediacy of the digital age, Glover and Kosowick embrace the slowness and tactility of physical media. Their work emphasizes materiality as a form of presence in an era of disembodiment and shifting cultural landscapes
This exhibition also marks a major moment for Love Waxes Cold, a DIY studio-turned-gallery making its debut in a striking central London space as the gallery is temporarily taking over an office-space designed by renowned architect Jamie Fobert. Positioned at the intersection of emerging talent and experimental curation, Love Waxes Cold is quickly establishing itself as a vital space for artists who are pushing the boundaries of dialogue and form.
The Second Ruin invites visitors into an evolving conversation, where each piece speaks to another, and every encounter reshapes perception. This exhibition reveals how worlds are built through ongoing dialogue rather than a static state, shaping our understanding of self, other, and the spaces in between.
Love Waxes Cold presents Henry Glover & Miya Kosowick, The Second Ruin 24th April – 15th May 2025- 5 Sycamore Street EC1Y 0SR
Art Opening 24th April 6PM – 8PM
About the artists
Miya Kosowick (b. 1998, Prince George, Canada) is a Japanese-Canadian artist whose practice explores the tension between the controlled and natural worlds borrowing from sci-fi motifs creating installations that merge painting, sculpture, and found objects. Drawing on the Japanese concept of uchi-soto (inside-outside), their work investigates shifting perceptions of space, identity, and cultural authenticity through imagined environments and fragmented artefacts. Influenced by landscapes from British Columbia, Japan, and the UK, they create future archaeological traces—blurring time and place through wax-sealed surfaces and delicate materials.
Kosowick holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. She was awarded the UAL International Postgraduate Scholarship and recently graduated with Distinction from Chelsea College of Arts. She is the recipient of the inaugural Glenrothes Salon Commission showing her work as a part of Art Week Tokyo 2024. @miyakmawatari
Henry Glover (b.1997, Oxford, United Kingdom). Glover’s practice is rooted in storytelling, drawing from myth, folklore, and history to construct intimate fictions that explore vulnerability and emotional nuance. Through oil paintings and ceramics, they seek to elevate fleeting, often unspoken moments, transforming the quiet and overlooked into something transcendental. Their work creates space for reflection, where personal and collective narratives softly intertwine. Glover holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art: Painting from Wimbledon College of Arts and is currently studying his MA in Fine Art at City and Guilds London Art School 2024-2025. @hgglover
