Artist
Olivia Mròz

https://oliviamroz.com/
https://www.instagram.com/oliviamroz/

Conversation between Olivia Mròz
and Jessie Cunningham-Reid

Could you tell me about your artistic process and how you came to make your most recent work?

My process with my most recent text based works are excerpts from voice recordings, diary entries, poems(?), self observed psychological thought streams, and influences from random things I pick up from online culture. It all comes down to understanding what, but more importantly why, I am feeling and/or expressing what I am at that time.

Growing up I had my reality denied, so this acts as a direct platform for my parts to feel seen and heard, parts that weren’t able to express and understand their emotions growing up. The direct, ironic, crude, offensive, angry, sarcastic, dyslexic, passive aggressive, excited, happy, anything-I-feel/want-to-say approach is (un?)surprisingly healing - helping process, shift and move these energies and shame out of my mind and body.

Ironically some of my text explorations have started to adopt the layers and distortions I use in my other mediums.

How did you arrive at these particular “phrases” I can see, the text in your work?

Most of them are diary excerpts, like ‘I Only Like My Men In Heels (& Gowns)’. ‘I Only Like My Men In Heels (& Gowns)’ is a bit of a fuck-you to the homophobic family and people I grew up with. Logically understanding that it’s not a healthy or productive way to go deal with the situation, but emotionally an important process for me to give power back to those shamed parts.

‘Horny For Women’ and ‘I’m Not Your Mother’ were another diary excerpt from a self observed psychological thought stream. ‘Horny For Women’ coming from a psychological exploration of my sexuality in order to try and understand it. From a very young age I would question whether I was gay or not, and I remember before I even started primary school, wishing I had a penis. And that’s a lot to unpack, and can arrive at many different meanings, but coming to the conclusion that I’ve never fully been attracted to men for the right reasons. And the most sexual shared energy has been with women, so stringing together ‘Horny For Women’.

‘I’m Not Your Mother’ came from understanding that some of my most toxic relationships with both men and women came from people who were projecting their mummy issues onto me. This was a big a-ha moment.

‘My Child Parts’ is just a direct reflection of what a lot of my work revolves around this year, and ‘Today A Man Stared At My Fat Camel Toe’ was something humorous and uncomfortable I found going through my entries.

‘Don’t Touch My Body’ is an example of internet culture influence that resinated with me. I randomly came across a .gif of a little girl yelling “DO NOT TOUCH MY BODY” and I immediately starting crying, a lot. It was a very powerful moment for me, being able to connect and grieve for that part of me rather than dissociate and shame that part like I usually would. It had such a big impact on me I pretty much started to put together a photobook together right away, with pictures of me at different ages, all captioned ‘Don’t touch my body.’- but it was way too triggering, so I transferred the idea into this simple text exploration. I’ve since had it printed on a tee shirt, and even though it’s too distorted to read, I still feel shame wearing it which is interesting. In saying that, it’s also one of my most favourite and personally powerful works I’ve ever created.

Have you always used text?

Yes I have always used text, well since I was a teenager. Though back then I used to write poetry mainly, and layer it on top of my photographs. One of my finals in year 12 was a photograph with layered text. It’s very cringy, but I’m also very proud of my then self for being so vulnerable.

Do you ever think about what drives you to make art?  And if so, what does?

Absolutely! In one word: Trauma. This year mostly focusing on transgenerational trauma and parts psychology.

I come from a complex trauma background, which has had major impact on me from an infant. And because it is so present in my life on a daily basis, it naturally drives my art.

What is a subject you’re really passionate about that people might not know you’re into?

Psychology? Drag? But I feel I post a lot about those topics online so I don’t know how unknown that is.