2020 Senior Exhibition Artists 2020 Senior Exhibition Artists: Olivia Hawes

Biography

Olivia Hawes received her BFA in Photography at the University ofMassachusetts Dartmouth in 2020. A native of Brockton, Massachusetts, Olivia captures both narrative and beauty within daily life. In her most recent works, using staged photography and found objects, she creates imagery that is poignant, personal, yet ambiguous. She plays with human nature and the concept of identity to create reactions from the viewers which relate the imagery to themselves, their past, or people in their lives. Often taking photographs in peoples’ homes, nostalgia is a recurring motif throughout her work.

Statement

Over the course of the last couple of years, I’ve collected countless shopping lists found on the floors at Costco, where I work, that are otherwise discarded. At first I threw them away, then I decided I would collect them with the hopes of eventually coming up with an idea to repurpose them in some way. When looking at these found shopping lists, I originally centered my focus toward the items found on the list, however, after considerable thought, I started to imagine the person behind each list. I took into account not only the items listed, but also the handwriting and type of media they were written on. I created a character for each list, based on the type of person whom I imagine wrote it. For each character I created, I also designed an environment to further portray the people behind the lists. ​

Contact

Email: olivia.rhawes@gmail.com

Slideshow

1. Ann, 46, 2020, archival pigment print, 24" x 16"
2. Tony, 22, 2020, archival pigment print, 24" x 16"
3. Margaret, 40, 2020, archival pigment print, 24" x 16"
4. Sarah, 45, 2020, archival pigment print, 24" x 16"
5. Olivia, 21, 2020, archival pigment print, 24" x 16"
6. Krystal, 31, 2020, archival pigment print, 24" x 16"