Olivia Lin – RMIT School of Art Graduates

Room for Nowhere

My master’s project explores the embodied expression of uncertainty within states of anxiety through painting-based sculpture and its constituent spatial installations. Using cardboard as a primary material, I create a space that carries functional implications yet remains deliberately suspended, serving as a medium between the body and emotion. This project examines anxiety as my psychological liminal state, revealing the tension between action and stagnation while seeking stability and latent possibilities within uncertainty.

A cardboard sculpture installation resembling a bench, assembled from multiple cut pieces of cardboard secured together, with visible screws and cut edges on its surface. The piece is placed against a wall bearing the inscription "Save Point." — Olivia Lin, ‘Waiting’, 2025, Cardboard, Marker, gold passivated timber screws, angle brackets

The cardboard sculpture suspended from the exhibition hall ceiling takes the shape of a long triangle, its surface featuring patterns and text derived from bus stop signs. Inspired by a rolling door, it can be rolled up and down in a similar way. — Olivia Lin, ‘Crossing: Bus Stop Sing’, 2025, Cardboard, oil pastels, color pencils, hinges.

Two painted cardboard triangles are fixed to a white wall, their surfaces featuring orange and green patterns. Projecting outward, they cast long shadows on the wall under the light. — Olivia Lin, ‘Missing: Wayfinding Signage’, 2025, Cardboard, oil pastels.

Close-up of a cardboard sculpture detail: the yellow surface, rendered with oil pastels, shows swirling marks created by the friction of two cardboard pieces, accompanied by red and black smudges. The edges overlap with another piece of cardboard painted white. — Olivia Lin, ‘Detail of Missing: Wayfinding Signage’, 2025, Cardboard, oil pastels, screws.

Olivia Lin is an emerging artist born in China and currently based in Melbourne. Her practice centers on states of anxiety, particularly the suspension of action and the search for moments of stability amid uncertainty. Using cardboard as her primary medium, she creates interactive spatial installations built upon triangular structures. These ephemeral forms invite viewers to pause and contemplate, collectively exploring possibilities within fragility and unease.

https://www.instagram.com/otona018

Olivia Lin