Olivia is an illustrator who graduated from the Royal College of Art this year with an MA in Visual Communication. The key threads which can be found in her work are place, the mundane and overlooked narratives. Her striking visual language comprises of a myriad of esoteric layers informed by a propensity for human-centered research methodologies.
She is determined to make the arts, heritage institutions and arts education more accessible and representative of their local communities. Olivia has a strong interest in participatory design, relational aesthetics and documenting social history as it unfolds.
As a practitioner her aims are to provide her audience with 'the shock of the familiar', to encourage the taking up of space and to stir intergenerational discussion.
Projects
- Diaspora Britain by Punch recordsTo celebrate Black History Month and the 50th anniversary of the UK’s pioneering Race Relations Act, four artists including photographer and artist, Vanley Burke; illustrator Olivia Twist; documentary photographer Ines Elsa Dalal and artist Abian Richards, were commisioned to create new pieces of work to be exhibited at Birmingham's Millennium Point for the duration of the month. The opening night of the exhibition consisted of spoken word performances inspired by the new art works from Akala.
- Black British Girlhood @ The centre for better mental healthBBG is a collectived formed by myself, Bekke Popoola and Kariima Ali. Together we have held two successful group exhibitions, facilitated a number of workshops across the UK and given multiple panel talks. Black British Girlhood was born out of a need to carve out a space for Black women and the multitude of ways in which we express ourselves, allowing people to engage with our work and what we produce on our own terms in ways that don’t necessarily reproduce mainstream representations of Black
- Ridley Road Records - Artist residency @ Doomed galleryThe aim of our month long RCA collective residency was to make the gallery more accesible and representational of the local community. The final outcome consisted of the formation of a community recording studio entitled Ridley Road Records and a week of workshops ranging from ‘alternative’ karaoke, designing record sleeves and creating contact microphones. The recording studio was made of solely found materials from the market the gallery is situated in and everything we built was donated to the local community garden after the residency had come to an end.
- 3:45A personal project which explores the formation of communal identity, the value of the chicken and chip shop, and all the rituals practiced by the youth who visit these shops on their way home. I have also created a photobook, an interview booklet and a 60 page research publication to accompany these final illustrations. 3.37pm on a friday afternoon. College is done. We reach the chicken shop about seven girl strong. 2 wings and chips all round. The pound meal. Take away because the back of the bus is waiting for us. © Olivia Mathurin-Essandoh 2017
- Africa Utopia; Acts of lookingWorking in partnership with Jepchumba, Kenyan digital artist and founder of African Digital Art, Southbank Centre invited 5 female creatives and image makers to contribute to the online space. The images were then projected onto the Royal Festival Hall during the Africa Utopia weekend.
Projects credited in
- Two Sides, One CoinThe women of SXWKS present “Two Sides, One Coin”. A live show and exhibition celebrating International Women's Month at The Curtain. Exhibition: Photography by Marta Camarada - https://www.martacamarada.com/ Film by Barbara Premo - https://barbarapremo.co/ Illustration by Olivia Twist - https://www.yesoliviatwist.com/ Performances: Lex Amor - https://www.instagram.com/lexysaluteme/?hl=en Keziah Who - https://www.instagram.com/keziahwho/?hl=en Kesiwa - https://www.instagram.com/kesiwa/ Sarah Al
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Work history
LecturerUniversity for the Creative Arts
Epsom, United KingdomFreelance
Tutoring on the BA Graphic Design course specialising in Illustration.
Associate LecturerUniversity of The Arts London (UAL)
London, United KingdomFull Time
Tutor in BA Illustration at Camberwell College of Art where I work with 2nd year students.
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Skills
- Archival Research
- Artistic and Curatorial Practices
- Comunity Projects
- Creative Publishing
- Outreach Education
- Abobe Creative Suite
- Copywriting
- Event Organisation
- Research-led Design
- Graphic Design
Education
MA Visual CommunicationRoyal College of Art
- London, United Kingdom
During my time at the Royal college I specialised in Illustration and relational aesthetics. This summer I graduated as one of the two students who achieved top marks on our course.
Throughout my two years on the course I conducted a number of live projects including;
. A workshop at the V&A Friday lates
. A collective artist residency at the doomed gallery
. A community outreach project in partnership with Small works
. A widening participation session with young people
In addition I participated in a numerous exhibitions both on and off campus with the focus of making the arts more accessible and gallery spaces more representative and inclusive of their local communities.
Finally I was a member of interview panel for prospective students as I have a strong interest in teaching
BA (Hons) Design for Graphic communication, First Class (1st)University of The Arts London (UAL)
- London, United Kingdom
During my time at LCC I specialised in Illustration, traditional printing techniques and copy writing. I also did a short course in digital photography in which I achieved a Distinction.
Awards
The Quentin Blake narrative drawing prizeRoyal College of Art
The body of work which won the award was my final MA project, titled "3:45" which explored the value of the chicken and chip shop and all the rituals practiced by the youth on their way home.