In 2002 Olivia returned to sculpting and has since focused on working in various media, combined with ongoing professional development.   

ARTIST STATEMENT

MARCH 2009

Since the early 1990s, my work has involved the creation of objects and installations based around the themes of absence and presence; What is visible but also what is obscured or missing.

In my current art practice sometimes what is absent from a piece is as important as what is present and at other times particular attention is drawn to what is left behind and the sentiments or emotions that this evokes.  The sense of absence and loss that triggers varying emotions such as remorse, nostalgia, and melancholy also evokes other sentiments like hope, joy and serenity.  Both groups of emotions can interact but mostly conflict.

My art practice aspires to create a place that can reflect these emotional struggles yet also point to the possibilities of peace.  A recent work took the form of a twenty-foot drawing documenting the daily experience of working with different imagery and emotional elements.

Dense dark voids, textured imprints and the tension between visible and invisible sculptural spaces are prominent features in my work.  A large part of my current art practice consists of charcoal drawings called ‘Biospheres’.  I choose charcoal as the medium because of its dense dark velvet-like qualities, which draw the viewer in.  I also use a large-scale format to further entice and absorb the viewer’s attention. What is visible are large macro worlds like an alien landscape, which offer a myriad of possible viewing points and interpretations. 

The three dimensional aspect of my art practice focuses on similar concepts to those of the drawings but the resulting suspended sculptural installations offer a different perspective.  Worked in plaster, the rounded bulbous shapes pull against the thin taught tendon-like elements.  Each area of the piece is worked differently to reveal a harmonious fusion or active tension in a way that keeps the whole piece flowing, vibrant and interesting from various viewpoints.

Working in large scale has also brought a more subconscious meditative quality to my art practice.  The movement of the artist and the work has become more intertwined, like a performance.  I am interested in traveling to Japan to work with a master of art and meditation to further these skills.  My aims for the next year are to further challenge the current working mediums and scales with a view to reincorporating some performance and video into my work practice.

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“The beautiful abstract forms from her current body of work are strangely ambiguous and alluring; at first they seem evocative of the intricate musculature and internal organs of the human body, yet on closer inspection the sculptures take on a myriad of other possible meanings and symbols.  This vagueness and uncertainty makes each sculpture all the more fascinating and captivating.  Never wishing to explain or describe these abstract forms, Hassett is happy to let the viewer make their own interpretation”

Tara Murphy, Director, Solomon Gallery