Olivia Lomenech Gill

Olivia Lomenech Gill completed a degree in Drama at Hull University in 1996 and subsequently became an archivist for a private art collector and was given the use of a studio. This triggered a transition to concentrate more exclusively on her fine art work and in 2001 she completed an MA in Printmaking. Gill had always recorded her ideas in sketchbooks, learning to draw, not at art school, but at bus stops and on the train. Increasingly the subjects of her work were taken from the street and the many scenes we see played out around us each day. In the recent ‘Exile’ series she combined some of these street scenes to form processions of characters on the move.

Increasingly Gill reads and retains newspaper cuttings in the studio about stories that interest and inspire her. The Surrender series is based on a small text she wrote about the laying down of arms in favour of providing a better place for children to grow up in, which could apply to Gaza or anywhere else in the world. This is the first time Gill has employed collage on aluminium, where previously it was in the context of the etching plate. Other recent works have focused on Helen of Troy and Mary Queen of Scots.

The social content and the ‘storytelling’ potential remain integral to her work – something that has attracted the interest of various critics and over the last three years she has received several awards for her printmaking work.

Gill’s work has been shown at various galleries in London including the Royal Academy and is held in private collections in the UK, France, India, USA and Australia.