Interview by Eva Coutts

Sarah Ogilvie’s graduate show work explores the economic and social inequalities that the Coronavirus pandemic has inflicted on families.

What is your graduation project about?

My degree show work has been heavily influenced by the coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent impact on society. This year 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 addresses social inequality within society, but also the discrepancy of coronavirus experiences within communities. My work visualises contemporary societal and political concerns that I believe are important to address.

Can you tell us about some of the things which inspire you and your work? 

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. 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 current affairs. 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 aesthetics.

How have the events over the past year affected your work?

The coronavirus has certainly impacted my painting, both physically and conceptually. The prevalence of domestic importance during lockdown has altered the subject matter of my painting to reflect this. Home became a painting studio, gym and a dissertation station, with most of my furniture and walls now spotted with flecks of oil paint!

Lockdown has made me aware 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 important factor in the work I have created this year.