GENESIS
An exploration of materiality and mythology through the use of organic mineral materials and Ukiyo-e presentations.
Oliver’s work explores the relevance of traditional forms in Japanese Ukiyo-e and Asian mythology, by exploring traditional media such as gold leaf and mineral colour medium to describe ancient stories in modern forms. Through the form of legendary metaphors, the challenges and issues which encountered current society in these years are presented.
His concept is based on the traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e and surrealistic expression techniques, exploring the exaggerated lines and spatial arrangement of Ukiyo-e by focusing on white space/negative space and the arrangement of objects.
Furthermore, in terms of materials, Oliver used a large amount of gold leaf (in different tones) and mineral colour medium (in different states), observing the reflection of light to see different aspects of the painting.
He worked in a traditional way to explore the ancient Japanese mythology and folklore, using an ancient and historical legend as a metaphor for social issues in recent years, such as the spread of the epidemic, floods and the resultant loss of life.
‘Study nature, not books’ This is the core value of Oliver’s art practice. By observing the lines, structure, ripples and patterns of the natural environment, view the natural world from the traditional forms of description which were used by their ancestors in the past thousand years. He used his hands to feel the media materials, and traditional methods to boil the materials in order to experience the art evolution in history.
To Oliver, art practice is not only a way to express ideas and concepts, but also a way to exercise his own insight into nature.
