Let's Keep Dreaming Series

In Collections: Creativity in the Time of COVID-19

Copyright Status: In Copyright

Date: 2019/2022

Artists: Azzopardi, Olivia

Subjects: COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- , in art

Material Type: Sculpture (visual works)
Mixed media works

Language: No linguistic content

Extent: 4 sculptures

Genre Note: Glazed ceramic earthenware, ink on paper, plaster

Exhibit Label: This collection of weathered ceramics, prints, and plaster is an ode to my tumultuous relationship with my body and mind during the pandemic. It all started when a friend recommended that I write three lines of something a day to express my feelings of hopelessness. As a university student, I felt lost and confused, and I started writing scrappy confessionals about how I hated myself and who I had become. That's when I became inspired by confessional poets and text-based artists such as Jenny Holzer and Tracey Emin, who transformed their pain into something tangible and public. To create this series, I started by writing in black notebooks, which eventually led me to experiment with traditional letterpress on tactile and blotted paper. As I worked on this collection, I thought about the warmth of being reckless with friends and how the pandemic worsened my view on living through heartbreak. Art became my therapy to cope with these times, and I wanted to share that with others. Thank you for taking the time to learn about my work. I hope it resonates with you as much as it does with me. This piece features a shiny green ceramic page with frayed edges, bearing the imprint of traditional letterpress text on tactile and blotted paper. In this piece, the artist's original font, created on Illustrator, was translated onto the ceramic page from vacuum form and plaster to achieve a desirable 'relic' effect. This piece showcases a shiny blue ceramic with frayed edges imitating paper, featuring words and thoughts about drunken nights and fun times. The artist's use of traditional letterpress on tactile and blotted paper is evident, with the artist's own font translated onto the ceramic page from vacuum form and plaster. Created in 2020, the piece captures the artist's longing for a simpler time amidst the chaos of the pandemic. The letter-press ink is imprinted onto blotted paper with a poignant line that reads "I miss being carefree and happy, when will it return?" Through her art, Azzopardi reflects on the collective yearning for a return to normalcy in a time of uncertainty and change. This plaster cast's inscriptions evoke a sense of conflicting emotions. A line towards the top says, "You have come so far," while a lower line says, "You're so stuck in the past." The inscription is done in bold lettering and seems to have been carved out of the surface, adding a sense of depth. --Label design by exhibit curator Nancy DeJoy. Labels written by Ben Lash and his team in consultation with artist statements.

Permalink: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5hm55m0t

Page Info

1 of 4: Let's Keep Dreaming Series. Part 01

A dark green glazed ceramic in the form of a piece of paper with crumpled edges. It is standing on a white platform, leaning against the white wall behind it. There is a poem imprinted on the page, although it's difficult to read due to a reflective glare. It reads: "Let's keep dreaming Of wavy drunken nights Of hugs and cuddles Of you dumb jokes and Stupid crackhead nights with friends Of art Of happiness Of the feeling of hope Of freedom Let's look out at the landscape Look into all the dreaming Warm lights glowing in homes Far away You have come so far Its so to remember the Warm fuzzy glow of love Out remember each day sees in Your so stuck in the past If you keep looking behind"

Read

Extent: 1 sculpture

Genre Note: Glazed ceramic earthenware

Permalink: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5rj4cw4x

2 of 4: Let's Keep Dreaming Series. Part 02

A blue glazed ceramic in the form of a piece of paper with crumpled edges. It is standing on a white platform, leaning against a white wall. There is a poem imprinted on the page. It reads: "Let's keep dreaming Of wavy drunken nights Of hugs and cuddles Of you dumb jokes and Stupid crackhead nights with friends Of art Of happiness Of the feeling of hope Of freedom Let's look out at the landscape Look into all the dreaming Warm lights glowing in homes Far away You have come so far Its so to remember the Warm fuzzy glow of love Out remember each day sees in Your so stuck in the past If you keep looking behind"

Read

Extent: 1 sculpture

Genre Note: Glazed ceramic earthenware

Permalink: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5dj5ch86

3 of 4: Let's Keep Dreaming Series. Part 03

A coarsely textured paper is slightly crumpled, torn, and rough around the edges. A poem has been repeatedly stamped onto the page in brown ink. The poem reads: "I look into frenzied restaurants glowing in bursts of youth watching from afar on a cold dark road. I miss being carefree and happy, when will it return?"

Read

Extent: 1 sculpture

Genre Note: Ink on paper

Permalink: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5k35qf6j

4 of 4: Let's Keep Dreaming Series. Part 04

A white plaster cast on a black background. The cast is shaped like a photo frame, except the border has rough, uneven edges. Inlaid in the center of the frame is a poem which reads: "Let's keep dreaming Of wavy drunken nights Of hugs and cuddles Of dumb jokes and Stupid crackhead nights with friends Of Art Of happiness Of the feeling of hope Of freedom Let's look out at the landscape Look into all the dreaming Warm lights glowing in homes Far away You have come so far Its so good to remember the Warm fuzzy glow of love But remember each day goes on Your so stuck in the past If you keep looking behind"

Read

Extent: 1 sculpture

Genre Note: Plaster

Permalink: https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m5qv3g507