No Man’s Land

Olivia Kalish

Degree: BFA

Area: Painting

Thesis Statement

I was born in Alaska, and moved every three years after the age of nine. By the start of college, I had lived in four states and two countries. Recently, I have become a mother challenged by performing many different roles. The disorienting space in my paintings and juxtaposition of materials is a reflection of my nomadic upbringing and clashing identities.

Incessantly documenting images with my phone, from intimate hangouts with friends to internet memes, reflects my need to cling to small moments. Digitally collaging these images for inspiration, my compositions create a space where seemingly normal moments become surreal. By alternating between illusionistic description and material representation, I provoke the viewer to question materials that seem out of place. I consider myself first and foremost an illusionist. Painting’s elitist roots entice me to incorporate low-brow materials that are frowned upon in my institutionalized education. I lay my past self to rest by utilizing personal items I have outgrown in my paintings.

I want to lure people into my work with formal beauty, but upset their assumptions upon closer inspection. I use bright colors, composition, and surface shininess; while incorporating human hair, chewed gum, and other disconcerting materials and textures to repulse. Playing with notions of attraction and disgust help spark conversation about the historical idealization and vilification of the female subjects. For the viewer, the line between being invited and intruding on the moments presented becomes blurred.

From afar the female figures in my work may appear to be ethereal, but up-close, they are scratched, sanded and stripped of facial recognition. By avoiding description of facial features, I reject socially constructed notions of attractiveness. Instead I use bodily adornments and objects, like hair, piercings, and clothing, to reference self-realized beauty that is the result of women exercising their agency.