Faculty of Art
Cross-Disciplinary Art: Life Studies
Olivia Pare
Sensation
Sculpture
2023
1" x 2" lumber, wood screws, metal mesh, air dry clay, floral wire, plaster of paris, silicone rubber, alcohol paint, white spray paint.
30" x 18" x 48"
A body trapped in a cage emerges from the ground. This body, simultaneously frozen and alive, is surrounded by white spiders.
“An especially disturbing facet of experiencing loss and grief is the visceral, physical sensations they provoke. The body is experienced in ways it never has been; entirely new interpretations of life and corporeal reality are introduced. After experiencing loss, time seems to stop. The body goes numb, fingertips and toes tingle: dissociation. There is intense anxiety, as if suffering from a phobia. Paranoia sets in. There is entrapment by fears that are impossible to control. Spiders are a common phobia, but are also personal symbols of life and death as the artist incessantly finds their little corpses littered around the home. These insects encircle a trapped, but seemingly life-laden skin to evoke such physical sensations, but also awareness of the body and its vulnerability. ”
Work by
Olivia Pare aka. Livi
“When confronted by something that thrusts corporeal reality - the repressed truth of the vulnerability and impermanence of the physical body - into perspective, the observer is left conflicted and...” [More]
Celebrate the work of OCAD U’s class of 2022/2023!