about the artist

My name is Sophia Olivieri, I am recently graduated from UNSW Art and Design, having studied a Bachelor of Fine Arts. My themes of my work vary but generally centre around themes of female representation within film, notions of femininity/masculinity and gender inscription. Often I seek to explore the ways in which images, tropes and narratives are naturalised to us through the media and Hollywood and how our consumption of these images impact our understanding of cultures, interpersonal relationships and gender dynamics. Some of my work intervenes in the iconography and imagery present within film, specifically Hollywood film, which often depicts and perpetuates notions of female subordination, cultural stereotypes and hyper-masculinity. However, other works also expand to question other cultural norms and customs such as marriage, addressing private verses public space, the internal verses the external.

In general, my work looks at different avenues in which I can take existing media and imagery and reframe, dissect and decontextulise it, allowing a new dialogue to emerge. This is typically achieved through regurgitating filmic and archival imagery through unconventional mediums and surfaces such as textiles and tiling, often materials present within the home and associated with the domestic and feminine. I further look at creating interactive and tactile experiences for audiences as they uncover and determine the obscured mise-en-scenes and iconography before them.