Finding Inspiration in the Energy and Complexity of City Life
Organized by The Bridge Arts Foundation, the "Urban Pulse" Open Call Exhibition is now on view at The Scholart Selection Gallery in San Gabriel, California, running through February 22, 2025.
As part of the exhibition, The Bridge Arts Foundation’s Art Director, Tia Xu, sat down with several participating artists to discuss their creative process and artistic vision. In this interview, we are delighted to feature a conversation with artist Olivia Fredricks.
—— Q&A ——
Tia Xu: Could you please share your background and what inspired you to pursue a career in art?
Around the block, 2022, 21”x16”, Risograph on Paper, photo courtesy of the artist.
Olivia Fredricks: I grew up in the American deep south (between Texas and Arkansas) in a mixed-race Filipino-American household. Like many kids who grew up in small towns, I didn’t have very much exposure to fine art because there weren’t galleries or museums where I grew up and my parents aren’t really interested in the arts in that way. The art that I knew came from the internet, crafting, comics, ads, and other “low brow” sources that ended up being very influential in my work. I loved drawing and never stopped when most kids around me grew out of it. Even though I couldn’t imagine what a career in art would look like, I knew pretty early on that I wanted to pursue it. For most of my teenage years I was set on becoming an editorial illustrator because I loved reading articles online and seeing the way the illustrators turned abstract ideas into images. You can still see a strong illustrative bent in my prints now. I studied printmaking in undergrad and grad school because it felt like a nice spot in the venn diagram between fine art and design. And now I do all sorts of stuff under the umbrella of ‘printmaker and illustrator’!
Tia Xu: What does "Urban Pulse" mean to you, and how does your artwork explore this theme? Can you tell us the story behind your artwork from the exhibition?
Increased Visibility, 2024, 21.5”x16.5”, Risograph on Paper, photo courtesy of the artist.
Olivia Fredricks: Most of my work is about how people relate to the built environment. The imagery I create comes from observation and is informed by research into architecture, urbanism, sociology, and anthropology among other things. When I think about the term, Urban Pulse, I think of the pace and energy of urban life. Because I grew up in a pretty small semi-rural place, cities completely fascinate me and they are my preferred place of residence. There’s so much to notice! The way people move through space is so different when they navigate around other people and pieces of infrastructure. Walking a mile feels so empty and tiring in a suburb but so natural and energizing in a city because there’s so much to see. At least, that’s my take. The piece I submitted was made during my recent residency in Japan. It’s called double visibility increase, and it’s depicting a couple street mirrors facing opposing directions. I love the warped imagery and doubling of space in reflected forms. I would see my surroundings three times —the real thing and two reflections—when I walked past and it confused my sense of space more than it contributed to it.
Tia Xu: What materials and techniques do you prefer to use in your art, and could you explain your choices?
Olivia Fredricks: I work with a lot of nontoxic printmaking processes like silkscreen, mokuhanga, and risograph, as well as digital and traditional drawing media. Typically, I draw digitally then output in some form of printmaking. I like working with risograph specifically because it’s quick and the mark is so haptic and the inks are so bright. Plus it’s so easy It’s a type of Japanese duplicator that looks like a copy machine but prints one color at a time through stencils like you would with screenprinting. There’s a democratizing factor to artmaking with simple, accessible processes. Art does not require fancy materials!
The other media I work with, silkscreen and mokuhanga, are fairly accessible though require a bit more training. They have histories of intercultural exchange between ‘east’ and ‘west,’ and were at various points used to disseminate stories through image.
Tia Xu: Are there any artists or art movements that have had a significant influence on your work? If so, why?
HotCold, 2022, 16”x10”, Mokuhanga on Washi, photo courtesy of the artist.
Olivia Fredricks: There are so many. I think a lot about designers and architectural projections. When I was a freshman in college I saw an exhibition of work by Superstudio, the radical Italian architecture(?) group from the 70s. I loved the speculative work that they did with the ‘superstructure’ and how metaphorically predictive it was for the internet age we live in now. I also love the axonometric drawings by Nathalie DuPasquier of the Memphis Design group. And another major inspiration are ukiyo-e and shin-hanga prints, as well as contemporary mokuhanga prints by artists all over the world. I think you can really see the influence of Japanese prints in my composition and linework tendencies—though it’s never intentional. I also love the narrative quality of the historical prints. For a long time, I was afraid to fill compositions with color and form but I had such a breakthrough when I realized that what I loved about all of these influences was the fullness of their images.
Tia Xu: Can you share a particular piece of feedback or a comment from an art critic, art professional, or even the audience that has profoundly impacted you?
Olivia Fredricks: One of my professors in grad school sent me a list of items (thread and a wallet were on there but it was a long list of very disparate things) and she asked me to guess what connected them. I thought maybe they were items that someone had on their coffee table. Then she sent me the second part of a short story about people finding all of these items in the stomach of a walrus. She said ‘stories write themselves’. It’s something I keep having to remind myself. If I just make the images that come to mind, the audience will find ways to connect them and relate to them.
The Bridge Arts Foundation's "Urban Pulse" Open Call Exhibition Installation View, Photo: ©The Bridge Arts Foundation / Luna Hao
ABOUT OPEN CALL EXHIBITION PROGRAM
The Bridge Arts Foundation's "Urban Pulse" Open Call Exhibition Installation View, Photo: ©The Bridge Arts Foundation / Luna Hao
Bridge Arts Foundation's Open Call Exhibition Program is committed to supporting emerging artists by providing them with opportunities to showcase their work. "Urban Pulse" features 16 outstanding artists selected from over 100 submissions through a rigorous jury process involving art professionals. This exhibition runs from January 20th to February 22nd, 2025, at The Scholart Selection Gallery, offering a dynamic exploration of the energy, complexity, and human connections within urban spaces.
ABOUT ARTIST
Olivia Fredricks
Olivia Fredricks is a printmaker and illustrator currently based in Minneapolis. She received an MFA in Printmaking at Tyler School of Art and Architecture and a BFA in Studio Art with an emphasis in printmaking at the University of Arkansas School of Art. She is interested in using the printed mark for installations, books, zines, and ephemeral objects. Her work has been shown in numerous group shows around the country, including the Screenprint Biennial, PrintAustin Expo, and International Print Center New York. She recently completed an apprenticeship at Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia.