Apocryphal
Apocryphal

Essay

Apocryphal

Written research to accompany the five visual works, "April," "At these special occasions I think life is worth living," "Like a jewel thrown at a Polluted brookling," "One of the most difficult aspects of our existence is to make sense of it," and... More

April
April

Painting

April

The ghost as a simultaneous coexistence of oppositions mirrors my grandfather's embodied experience of place. My grandfather was born on an island called Sao Miguel, one of nine islands in a volcanic archipelago off the coast of Portugal. Volcanoes... More

At these special occasions I think life is worth living
At these special occasions I think life is worth living

Painting

At these special occasions I think life is worth living

In her chapter "Tentacular Thinking" from "Staying with the Trouble," Donna Haraway conceptualizes earthly existence as multiply connected, positing that our dependence on relationships is often more apparent during times of loss (38-39). For... More

Entangle
Entangle

Digital Media

Entangle

This year I had the opportunity to help organize and fundraise for the Drawing and Painting graduating catalogue. This image is the cover I designed for this year's graduating class, considering this year's theme, "Entangle." The nets and the... More

Like a jewel thrown at a Polluted brookling
Like a jewel thrown at a Polluted brookling

Painting

Like a jewel thrown at a Polluted brookling

Throughout pop culture and science fiction, the empty chair and the mirror commonly signify an absent presence. Wise tales tell stories of empty chairs appearing to be filled at night or shadows looming in mirrors. In horror movies like "The... More

One of the most difficult aspects of our existence is to make sense of it
One of the most difficult aspects of our existence is to make sense of it

Painting

One of the most difficult aspects of our existence is to make sense of it

Like volcanoes, ghost nets (abandoned fishing nets) constellated throughout Sao Miguel's oceans, co-mingle forces categorically defined as oppositional (Ghost Gear Removal Competitions") (De Wolffe). In "Plastic Naturecultures," Kim De Wolffe... More

What a wonderful world it is, the world of software for computers
What a wonderful world it is, the world of software for computers

Painting

What a wonderful world it is, the world of software for computers

The Microsoft Word files and photo archives I ascertained from my grandfather's floppy disks were poorly re-formatted and low quality, but informed by Hito Steryl's theoretical engagements with the digital, these accidental abstractions struck me... More

Work by

Olivia Aguiar

Drawing and Painting

“In an 'auto-archeological' pursuit of identity, I began collecting my late grandfather's digital archives, downloading information from the library of floppy disks he left behind. The sloppily...” [More]