About The Artist
Olivia Esquivel has been researching the mind as a transitional space for memory. Her work uses textile processes such as pleating and smocking to conceal and reveal liminal images, suggesting the fleeting movement of memories in the mind. Olivia's work has been included in group, solo, and juried exhibitions in both Michigan and Georgia.
During her graduate studies Olivia was a teaching assistant, workshop presenter and summer seminar instructor. Olivia received her MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2025, and her BFA from Adrian College in 2022. Esquivel is planning to return to Michigan to create, exhibit, and teach.
Artist
Statement
What makes a memory a memory? Do we understand how the human brain holds onto memories? What do we choose to remember, and what do we forget? Throughout my work and research, emotion and time have been revealed as the critical aspects of forming a memory. I also wonder: What parts of our lives are hidden in the folded-up fabric of our minds? As someone with memory loss issues and intense feelings of Deja-vu and nostalgia, I explore how the brain processes time, place, and emotion. I have discovered that the mind does not unfold what is hidden until we are triggered by a sound, smell, or image. These sensory stimuli take us back to what we have forgotten. How do we look deeper and see the whole picture? What is the focal point of the memory and what helps us recall it?
My work centers around forgotten and reemerging memories, liminality, and the transition between known and unknown, folded and unfolded. Imagery and processes are the pathways to unlocking memory and emotional responses. Liminal imagery often contains spaces, objects and lighting which evokes nostalgic, familiar, and uncanny emotions. This liminality is a counter-stimulus to the fogginess in the mind associated with forgetting. These images are combined with hand manipulated fabric, which is a physical representation of shown and hidden memories within the mind. I create work that inspires emotionally intense reactions to recall life experiences and memories, sparking self-reflective thought and discussion about memory.