Olivia Rissik
(She/Her)
My project centres on social and political commentary through visual language portraying absurdity, satire and humour. My work draws from autobiographical experiences, everyday interactions, and references from mainstream, social and countercultural media. I visually document my own experiences in diverse relationships and the female figure within a historical to contemporary context. My commentary on the female body extends into the absurd depiction of fetishisation by bestowing multiple breasts on animals, people and reptiles to highlight the obsession within our culture. I portray breasts and nipples in a vulgar, voyeuristic and distorted way that has an absurd and humorous take on the form. This is visible throughout my work to bring attention to the use of the female body for reproduction or as a sexual plaything.
Nurse Made Series
Nurse Made is a series of dry point etchings highlighting the plight of women who suckled babes during the Victorian era. These working-class women were likened to animals by Queen Victoria, who’s own children were fed by a nursemaid.
Grade Show Selection.
Is it a Victorian baby bottle or a douche?
For Sale: Price on Request. Multiple Editions in different colours.
Dairy Queen
For Sale: Price on Request. Multiple Editions in different colours.
Working harder than a Victorian wet nurse
For Sale: Price on Request. Multiple Editions in different colours.
Nurse Made Editions
EV 3/8 Dry point etching
EV 2/8 Dry point etching
EV 1/17 Dry point etching
The Divine UnHinged Comedy
The Divine UnHinged Comedy is a copper plate dry point etching narrative of the Underworld of romance and dating. The satirical piece pokes fun at the drama of heartache and potential suitors, today’s obsession with “body counts”, kinks and the Three Muses of Hinge (Ghosting, Digital Roses and Modern Day Jane Austin texting).
Grade Show Selection.
Dry point etching
Navigating the Waters of Dating
After a particularly painful let down by a short lived romance, our heroine repeats the final words “all the best” from a text message, as she navigates the treacherous waters, avoids further drama and and hopes for calmer days ahead.
Micron pen and ink.
Plenty of Fish
POF is a testiment to dating and relationships within the rainbow community. The illustrations are a further reference to sexual innuendos. It pokes fun of the emotions behind dating and falling and in out of luck and love. Likening potential partners to tinned sardines, there’s plenty of fish in the sea as long as you check their shelf life.
A3 Riso Print
For Sale: Price on Request
Wokémon
Who’s THAT Wokémon? This project is a response to the obsession of breasts in our culture. The concept of Pikachu being more appealing to Western audiences by appearing less cute and more provocative with large breasts plays into both historical and contemporary imagery of fetishization. I used current innuendos and metaphors to play to the strengths of each attack, backgrounds and buttons on the card. Additionally, the terminology includes popular social media phrases, including a bow to queer culture. Can you catch them all?
Digital Illustration
Digital Illustration
Digital Illustration
Digital Illustrations
For Sale: Price on request.
Framed Woké Cards
The Breastriary of Beasts
A bestiary is a twelfth century book of charming and humorous illustrates of various animals and mythical beasts. A breastriary is series of illustrated animals and reptiles with large mammary glands for feeding their young and for being ogled at by nature watches. Neither works are peer reviewed. Both could be academically challenged for factual information. I wanted to imagine how non nursing animals and reptiles could be depicted with multiple breasts and how this would be humorously fetishised within our culture.
Watercolour and Micron Pen
Watercolour and Micron Pen