Erin Oliver
Find Erin on: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
Artist Statement
In my multi-disciplinary practice, I investigate ideas about abstraction and artifice, cyclical processes, and visuospatial awareness by constructing layered sculptural installations with ephemeral materials as an extension of my painting practice. My installation environments and painted worlds evoke natural and imagined worlds that explore the boundaries between science, metaphysics, movement, and healing.
The environments I construct become surrogate landscapes, acting as portals transporting viewers to imagined worlds reflecting our own and conjuring biomorphic forms to evoke a sense of calm. My installations invite visitors to move around within their delicate forms, where they become part of it rather than just an observer, drawing out the symbiotic nature of our relationships with other beings and spaces. This puts considerable trust in the participant, but also speaks to the paradox of humanity, with our tendencies to simultaneously employ inhabitation and destruction. These encounters aim to facilitate a sense of presence and connection to the surrounding environment as a reflection of ourselves.
Bio
Erin Oliver's work has been supported by several grants and residency fellowships including the Vermont Studio Center, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Residency, the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, the Ella Foundation Pratt Emerging Artist Grant, and the Gasparilla Emerging Artist Award, juried by Paul Galloway from MOMA. Her paintings and installation work has been exhibited along the East coast including Tempus Projects in Tampa, FL, the Carrack Modern Art in Durham, NC, UNC Asheville, NC, the Greenhill Center for North Carolina Art in Greensboro, NC, and the USF Contemporary Art Museum in Tampa, FL. She received her MFA from the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL and holds an Art Education degree from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art.
Learn more:
CV
Links:
UNC Asheville Drawing Discourse - Exhibition catalog, Installation images, and Virtual Artist Talk
USF CAM Out to Pasture - Exhibition catalog, Artist panel discussion, Virtual Tour
Block Gallery - Artist Block Video Series
Carrack Gallery Double Capture - Video of exhibition and artist talk
Find Erin on: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
Artist Statement
In my multi-disciplinary practice, I investigate ideas about abstraction and artifice, cyclical processes, and visuospatial awareness by constructing layered sculptural installations with ephemeral materials as an extension of my painting practice. My installation environments and painted worlds evoke natural and imagined worlds that explore the boundaries between science, metaphysics, movement, and healing.
The environments I construct become surrogate landscapes, acting as portals transporting viewers to imagined worlds reflecting our own and conjuring biomorphic forms to evoke a sense of calm. My installations invite visitors to move around within their delicate forms, where they become part of it rather than just an observer, drawing out the symbiotic nature of our relationships with other beings and spaces. This puts considerable trust in the participant, but also speaks to the paradox of humanity, with our tendencies to simultaneously employ inhabitation and destruction. These encounters aim to facilitate a sense of presence and connection to the surrounding environment as a reflection of ourselves.
Bio
Erin Oliver's work has been supported by several grants and residency fellowships including the Vermont Studio Center, the Kimmel Harding Nelson Residency, the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation, the Ella Foundation Pratt Emerging Artist Grant, and the Gasparilla Emerging Artist Award, juried by Paul Galloway from MOMA. Her paintings and installation work has been exhibited along the East coast including Tempus Projects in Tampa, FL, the Carrack Modern Art in Durham, NC, UNC Asheville, NC, the Greenhill Center for North Carolina Art in Greensboro, NC, and the USF Contemporary Art Museum in Tampa, FL. She received her MFA from the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL and holds an Art Education degree from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art.
Learn more:
CV
Links:
UNC Asheville Drawing Discourse - Exhibition catalog, Installation images, and Virtual Artist Talk
USF CAM Out to Pasture - Exhibition catalog, Artist panel discussion, Virtual Tour
Block Gallery - Artist Block Video Series
Carrack Gallery Double Capture - Video of exhibition and artist talk
