Olivia Brazier

Olivia is a Glasgow-based artist working primarily in collage and painting. Her work focuses on the relationships between women, food, and sex. By exploring the connection between erotica and food consumption, the line between the two becomes blurred, resulting in surreal imagery. Women from vintage pornography magazines can be found playfully interacting with oversized foods, often fruits and vegetables.

Women’s bodies in art and everyday life are constantly being observed, whether subconsciously or consciously. Their consumption of food and sex is something that is scrutinized. Not only does Olivia attempt to link these themes, but she also emphasizes the similarities they share. There are endless connections between these themes, evident in language (ripe, rotten, peach...) and in how society accepts and describes them. By exploring the connection between food consumption and erotica, the line becomes blurred, resulting in surreal imagery.


https://oliviabrazier.co.uk

Who and/or what are your influences when you were first starting out vs. now?

The Pre-Raphaelites have always been a huge influence on me. I love how they sourced inspiration from medieval culture, told in a Victoriana style, and then covered in romance! They stripped back the common ideals of painting and focused on the use of intense colors with great attention to even the smallest details.

What I find fascinating is their devotion to nature and symbolism. Everything in their compositions has been included for a reason, which means hours of fun discovering the meaning and tales they are based on.

These days, I am more interested in the women who were a part of the Pre-Raphaelites but were overshadowed by the Brotherhood. Those who modeled for the Pre-Raphaelites, such as Jane Morris, Fanny Eaton, and the wonderful artist Elizabeth Siddall, each have a story of strength to be told about how they ended up incorporated into timeless art. They are only just becoming talked about, which is funny, as they are the most integral part of the paintings and sculptures.


What is your favorite thing about the materials you use?

I use paper and physically make the collages, as opposed to manipulating them on a computer. My favorite part is trying to find the perfect pose or food and the feeling when everything slots together. I love that the paper comes from vintage magazines or books, giving them a second life.


What would you say is hidden just underneath the surface of your work? What are you revealing to your viewers?

Through my work, I try to open a conversation about how we interpret bodies, especially women’s. Throughout art history, the depiction of the nude has been a popular subject; however, when it comes to a naked woman in pornography, they are not necessarily given the same appreciation. By placing women into new contexts, I aim to encourage us to interpret them in a different light. Much of my work points to women’s choices, especially regarding their sex and food consumption. I enjoy manipulating narrative by adding oversized foods, allowing the women to be seen freely and sexually interacting with these items. This is my attempt to link the many similarities sex, food, and the female body share—linguistically and in the concept that both are often seen as having a "shelf life."

My collages are humorous because I want to ridicule the seriousness of the subject, making it silly and fun to interpret!


Can you tell us about a turning point in your practice? Was there a moment when things started clicking?

I have always taken an interest in symbolism and how there is always so much more to a painting than what is depicted. I remember reading about how some Renaissance artists secretly painted fruit and vegetables that had sexual meanings to them into their work. They did this because it was frowned upon to paint or even allude to sex in their work. I thought the idea that they had their “private jokes” among them was brilliant. My work is not subtle in any way, but I have borrowed the idea of using a secretive fruit language. I’m not sure if this was the exact moment where it all clicked, but it has definitely played a part!


In honor of our women’s issue, who are three women and/or gender nonconforming artists that inspire you?

It was really tough to pick just three, but here they are…

Hannah Höch:
Hannah Höch is the collage OG! Her work shatters depictions of people and then reassembles them into shifted gender roles. Her concept surrounded the "new woman," and in 1920s and '30s Germany, she saw this as someone equal to men in every aspect. Her work is bursting with energy and looks as if it could have been made just yesterday. She was so ahead of her time, and I wish she could see how her work shines a hundred years later.

Tamara Łempicka:
Reproductions of Tamara Łempicka’s paintings can be seen everywhere today. However, when she first started painting, she signed her work with the masculine version of her name. It wasn’t until she started to receive recognition as the wonderful artist she is that she began to own being a woman. Her work oozes confidence, especially in her nudes. She had the courage to paint themes of desire and seduction while living openly as bisexual. This has paved the way out of a time when these themes would have been scandalous.

Linder Sterling:
Linder Sterling, known simply as Linder, is an artist working in photomontage. She began creating her punk-esque pieces in the late '70s, when zines became a popular way of voicing nonconformist ideas. Her work explores gender critique in a rebellious, unapologetic way. In Linder’s photomontages, you will find women morphing into amenities often associated with housewifery. She has an exciting way of interpreting the world and putting her comments on it.