Sarah Ogilvie

Artist Statement

My working methods combine historic aesthetic with contemporary materiality to document and preserve the period in which we are living. Through keeping up to date with global news, I use objects to translate these messages into scenes that visually symbolise specific current affairs that I believe are important to address. Although I create scenes that incorporate contemporary materials and messages, I use traditional working methods such as the use of candlelight and oil paints to pay homage to historic artists. I often refer to seventeenth century Dutch still life artists who used objects to symbolically narrate the socio-political and economical beliefs of that time whilst also visualising their understanding of mortality and transience. Like historic artists, my work visually preserves and documents contemporary societal and political concerns for future generations. The variety of objects in my work creates an ambiguity that is comprehensible with an iconological insight into the period in which it was created. My work this year has been heavily influenced by the coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent impact on society. I have particularly focussed on the 'Free school meal parcels' that have been issued to families that have faced financial hardship due to lockdown. This not only highlights social inequality within society, but also the discrepancy of coronavirus experiences within communities. Although the coronavirus has been a global pandemic, our experiences of it have been subjective to geographic, demographic and socio-economic factors. The prevalence of domestic importance during lockdown has impacted my awareness of the artistic value of mundane objects that we often overlook and their significance in our lives. This elevation of the ordinary into subjects of art has been an integral motivation for the work that I have created this year. My work implores audiences to see beyond preconceived objectification and visualise the symbolic potential that items hold.

Free school meal parcels

The school meals parcels are something that I find important to address. Coronavirus has impacted everyone in society, with more families reliant on the government for necessities such as food. This addresses ideas of social inequality and the social and economic impact of lockdown. According to the government, each food parcel is to feed a child for a week and supposedly provides £30 worth of food. This is not the case, with the value of food in the parcel costing less than £10 and the limited items not able to sustain a child for a week. The subtle writing on the yoghurt lid and tin of beans are important details of my painting, as it shows the deliberate splitting of items  and rationing of government funding for free school meals.

Free School meals mini series, 2021

I have created a series of individual studies from the free school meal parcel.  This is a series of 8 canvases measuring 10x10 inches to be shown along side my large scale ‘Free school meal parcel’ painting. The items I have painted are true to life scale which increases the aesthetic and compositional similarity to seventeenth century Dutch still life painters, who use true to life scale to diminish the barrier between fictive and personal space. 

The understanding of these paintings are dependent on the iconological comprehension of current affairs. Only when the complete series of paintings are together does the intended meaning of the work become holistic. 

Special Thanks

Thank you to my wonderful family for always supporting and encouraging me - I couldn't have done this without you.

Thank you to the tutors at ECA for inspiring me and being so kind and enthusiastic.

And thank you to the amazing ECA students for making this a time that i'll treasure forever.