Olivia Hicolaou
Olivia Nicolaou’s creative journey is deeply rooted in a family that valued the art in everyday life. "My family valued art, but their appreciation for art came from their reverence for life itself," she reflects. Coming from a lineage of fruit merchants, bakers, bikers, gardeners, builders, jewelry makers, and even distributors of love letters in the navy, Olivia was immersed in a world where creativity was intertwined with everyday existence. This environment instilled in her a profound sense of devotion, festivity, love, prayer, and humor—values that continue to influence her artistic practice.
A Sensitivity to the World
Olivia’s family drilled into her the importance of sensitivity to her own finitude, a concept that has shaped her approach to art. "The greatest gift they have given me is an unwavering sensitivity to my own finitude," she explains. This awareness often manifests as an urgent scramble to amass every glimmering trace of meaning into a cohesive whole, but it has also solidified a sense of tenderness and care towards the things that cross her path. "In this world, everything is notable," she says, highlighting the significance she finds in even the smallest details—beads of sweat on a cold beverage, footprints in the sand, petals thrown from a roof when flowers wilt.
Olivia draws inspiration from the character Voschev in Andrei Platonov’s Foundation Pit, who collects forgotten objects, leaves, pebbles, and seemingly inconsequential fragments of his days. "He keeps them, holding them, in an effort to do them justice, to ensure they are not forgotten, to ‘find out what they lived and died for,’" she shares. This attentiveness towards the ordinary becomes heavy, weighted by a desire to assimilate all things into one’s whole being. For Olivia, the essence of creating an art object lies in this capacity for heaviness, sustained attention, and care.
Art as an Offering
Olivia sees the creation of art as both an act of devotion and an offering. "The creation of art objects is a way of kissing the earth," she says. This act is not motivated by a desire to be groundbreaking or exceptional, but rather by a sense of duty. "As someone who takes so much from the world, it is only fair that I at least attempt to offer something in return," she adds. What Olivia offers is a willingness to be moved, both literally and figuratively, to be swept and carried by the wind.
In an age dominated by transparency, self-indulgence, and bland explicitness, Olivia prefers to lean into the unintelligible. She relinquishes her place at the center as the "artist" and instead acts as a facilitator—for the wind, for the elements, for the natural forces that shape our world. "Wind kneads itself into us, reminding us of our own insignificance," she reflects. For Olivia, this surrendering of the self, combined with attentiveness to receive whatever is offered, is at the heart of communion. Through this practice, she believes we find glimpses of the eternal and the transcendent.
A Practice of Attention and Humility
Olivia’s artistic practice is a continuous exercise in humility and devotion. By focusing on the ordinary and allowing herself to be moved by the world around her, she creates art that is deeply connected to the human experience. Her work serves as a reminder of the beauty and significance of the everyday, encouraging viewers to pay attention to the small, often overlooked details of life.
As Olivia Nicolaou continues to explore and expand her artistic practice, her work remains a powerful testament to the importance of attention, humility, and devotion. Through her art, she offers a glimpse into the transcendent, inviting us all to pause, reflect, and appreciate the world in all its intricate beauty.
