NADIA ODLUM

Nadia Odlum is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Western Sydney. She creates immersive
works that explore an intimate relationship with spatiality and urban architecture. Inspired by the abstract patterns and forms of the built environment, her work acts as a medium to reflect on how the body experiences space.

Tell us about your mission in life and why you do what you do?

Art is my primary method for understanding the world. It’s how I compute and make sense of things, and how I communicate back out again. I make art because I can’t NOT make art, but also because I value it as a way of adding to the world and contributing to conversations. I believe in art’s potential to increase empathy between individuals. I guess if I had a mission it would be that – to increase empathy.

What can you bring to LLL that you’re passionate about?

I am passionate about the potential of play. Play is one of the primary ways that we make discoveries about ourselves and the world. Play doesn’t have a right or wrong answer – it’s an expression of curiosity, of spontaneous interaction and serendipitous discovery. When we play together we increase our ability to empathise and communicate with those around us. I want to help to carve out spaces for creative play, both for children and for adults.

What creative medium do you love to express yourself with and why?

I am totally omnivorous in my use of materials! There is nothing I like more than learning a new skill. I also like to combine different mediums in unexpected ways. A sculpture that’s also a book? A painting you can walk inside of? Sure, why not!

Where do you find your inspiration?

I find most of my inspiration in the built environment. I am endlessly intrigued by repetition, geometry and patterns, which cities are full of. I am also interested in the way cities are reflections of people, and the ways we coexist and live alongside each other. I like thinking about the ways people move around cities, so I also like looking at maps and creating works that are about movement and journeys.

What are your stand out moments working in the arts?

I have recently been doing a work at the Art Gallery of NSW that invited the audience to interact with and rearrange one of my installations. I couldn’t believe how many things people came up with! Every time I thought I had seen all the ways people could interact with the work someone would think of something new. It really excited me about the potential of tapping in to collective creativity.

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nadiaodlum/

UPCOMING JULY ONLINE WORKSHOP: THURSDAY 9 JULY AND FRIDAY 10 JULY

CHANGEABLE ABSTRACTS

• Connect with your inner self through visualisation at the start of the day.
• Meet the Nadia online and learn about her art practice.
• Have fun and play with colour pattern and optical illusion – learning from Nadia and then making your own piece.
• Have an awesome artwork to share with your family at home and online.
• Templates and information will be sent to parents prior to the commencement of the workshops.