Olivia, also known as @kitschb1tch online, creates fantasy works that make you feel like you’re in a Victorian-era dream where everything has a pink pearlescence. The most common creatures you’ll see are fuzzy pink deer, iridescent bugs, and swans. Self-described as “saccharine art,” this is the perfect descriptor for her tender and sweet creations. Each piece entrances you, as they are meticulously crafted and allow you to truly imagine the world these artworks inhabit.
What’s the primary source of inspiration for your work?
I explore feminine artifice in my work by incorporating dream-like imagery that evokes a fantastical, delicate eroticism. I draw inspiration from various references, including illustrators associated with Art Nouveau such as Alastair and Aubrey Beardsley, and the playful eroticism of Clara Tice and Gerda Wegener’s work. I’m fascinated by material culture and much of my inspiration comes from decorative art and costume history. Certain figures often appear in my drawings - painted ladies, ghost brides, and vamps from historic and contemporary mythology.
Do you have a favorite piece among your creations?
I love the altar frame I made for my illustration Odile. I found the top candelabra piece at an antique store- one of those 70s faux rococo plastic gold filigree pieces. The frame is embellished with vintage millinery flowers, sequin appliques, ostrich feathers, and 1950s ceramic hands - I love using lowbrow materials. I want these vintage objects to look like I’ve dipped them in melted sugar and rolled them around in a faded burlesque starlet’s jewelry box. I enjoy taking something regarded as decorative kitsch and exaggerating its artificiality so much that it transforms from an imitation of historic opulence into an artifact from a decadent confectionary world.
Could you delve into the meaning behind one of your artworks?
I’ve been making soft sculptures since 2020, the first one was a large two-head lamb that was a purse prototype for a product design class. Since then, I’ve understood these works as belonging to a larger ongoing series, Saccharine Taxidermy. My collection of antique toys informs the sculptures and I like to think of them as memento moris for fairytale creatures. I recently made a pair of lambs inspired by the film Morgiana and incorporated my interpretation of Victorian funerary hair art, a miniature bow made of braided doll hair, into the lamb’s ornamentation. Angel’s Boutique reached out to me to make a custom winged fawn inspired by their logo and it’s been wonderful to see my creations exist in a different context.
How do you view the relationship between your personal experiences and your art?
I think I’m drawn to a wilted pastel color palette and melancholic imagery as a way to translate my own bittersweet emotions, whether I’m always conscious of it or not. I integrate my artistic expression into all aspects of my life and presentation, utilizing self-fashioning to assert my identity. Working out of an apartment filled with various collections - vintage wedding gowns, dolls, 1950s floral hats, iridescent glassware, and kitsch antique store finds - I’ve constructed an immersive studio environment surrounded by the imagery that appears in my art.
Check our more of Olivias work on her on Instagram @kitschb1tch or at www.kitschb1tch.com
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