In the title compound, [Cu(C8H4O5)(C5H5N)(2)](n) or [Cu(OH-BDC)( py)(2)](n) (where OH-H2BDC is 5-hydroxyisophthalic acid and py is pyridine), the Cu atoms are coordinated by two N atoms from the pyridine ligands and by three O atoms from hydroxyisophthalate ligands in a highly distorted triangular bipyramidal environment, with Cu - O distances in the range 1.941 (4) - 2.225 (5) Angstrom and Cu - N distances of 2.014 (6) and 2.046 (6) Angstrom. The [Cu(OH-BDC)](n) two-dimensional network is built up from interlocking 22-, 15- and eight-membered rings via sharing of Cu atoms and O - H ... O hydrogen bonds. Consolidation of the packing structure is achieved by edge- or point-to-face C - H ...pi interactions and offset or slipped pi-pi stacking interactions.