Drew is known for sculptural installations most often based on exploration of a grid or framework, which incorporate created, manipulated and found materials constructed from fabricated wood, tree branches, roots, paper, raw cotton, rust, found objects and mud. He re-examines and re-invents these objects and materials, which are often loaded with multiple afro-American historical, cultural and social connotations. They engage with the cyclical and transient nature of life and the passing of time, yet ultimately rely on his formal abstract compositional ability, working on a purely aesthetic level. Drew tends to offer no prescriptive explanations, seeing the works as mirrors, and individuals' interpretation as part of the contract.
In his latest work, Drew presents wall sculptures composed of painted, machine-cut wood and natural tree roots, which suggest man and nature in both harmony and opposition, battling against and coming together in repetitive but variant structure.
Drew's last show in New York introduced these urban tree works on a grand scale with the majority of the sculptures entering US museum collections. The constructions in the current exhibition have an intensity often found in the large-scale museum works when viewed from afar. They repeat and pulsate, integrating the man-made and natural worlds as they occur in the context of the city.
Drew's work is to be found in major museum collections around the world including MOMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim and the St Louis Art Museum. Private collections include the Rubell, Hort and Frankel Collections as well as the Linda Pace Foundation.
