Queer Frontiers presents:
Olivia Mansfield

With degrees from Central Saint Martin's and Goldsmiths University, Olivia Mansfield is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice is rooted in classical painting, theology, historic culture, ritual and symbolism.

We had the honour to speak with Olivia about her practice and the works she's exhibiting in this year's edition of Queer Frontiers.

Artiq How does your work relate to this year's theme, Queer Myths, Queer Futures?

Olivia The painting I have created for this year's show is a modern take on the image of the Three Graces from Greek mythology. I have always loved this classical image: three mystical female figures, meeting in a sacred, secluded place, embracing and dancing around one another. They give off connotations of desire, sexuality, poise and confidence in both body and spirit. I wanted to bring elements of this into the piece, the blood moon a symbol of womanhood and fertility, the meteor shower almost like an omen, of starting anew of rebirth and resilience.

I feel as though modern myth-making and the idea of a Queer future need an element of the supernatural about it. The witch, the sorceress, and the outsider become the main focus. They assert dominance and exude epic power, sensuality and self-love; proud in their bodies and their skin.

Artiq Your work is deeply knowledgeable, with iconographic sources ranging across different cultures, eras and media. How do you translate your inspirations into such deeply personal works?

Olivia I grew up in a commune, founded by my mum and her friends in the early 90s, it was a place that welcomed people from all religions, communities and backgrounds, and so from a super young age, I was completely immersed in learning about all kinds of different ways of living, of religions and scriptures.

Looking back, it's part of why my creative questioning is on the trajectory it is now. The deeply personal nature of my work comes from me still feeling my way around all that. I look at the symbology and the motifs of these stories and then my own personal mythology with elements of my own life emerge from the bones of it all. I want to be as authentic as possible and I allow my more emotional and vulnerable self to be exposed.

It may be one of the reasons why I am making such explicit images of the female form. Traumatic moments, scenarios and thought are brought into focus, acknowledged and processed. When I view a painting I want to go on a journey through it and discover parts of myself lost or unseen. For me it's the ultimate exchange.

Artiq You've mentioned that your creative process is intuitive. Can you elaborate on that?

Olivia When I paint I try to be as loose and free as I can be, a lot like an automatic drawing I will allow my hand and the brush to move intuitively across the surface. Images, figures, and places, all become more acutely defined as I go on. With layers upon layers of thin oils and a process of adding in and taking away I gradually tease out these strands of story. Very rarely will I start a painting knowing what it will look like at the end, it's all in the process.

Artiq Stressing the importance of celebrating inclusivity, diversity, and creativity, can you recommend an emerging artist you think everyone should know about?

Olivia USA, Brooklyn-based artist Lydia Baker. Lydia's depictions of soft and almost luminous beings in their spectacularly dreamlike settings are so compelling to me. The symbolism, feminine energy and odes to the natural world are all so beautifully considered and applied in her work.

Olivia Mansfield is exhibiting in Queer Frontiers: Queer Myths, Queer Futures June 29 - July 4 at 1-4 Walker's Court, London W1F 0BS.