ARTIST STATEMENT

Through photography, I investigate systems of representation. My work traces the intersections of voyeurism, violence, and mythology across media & commercialized landscapes. I bring together interviews, photographic portraits, and immersive installations to trace the ritualization of image-making as an embodied performance of collective mythologies and desires.

BIO

Olivia Mikolai Ridge (b. 1992) is a visual artist living and working in Chicago, IL. Ridge’s research-based practice involves explorations in collaboration, traditional printing methods, arts programming & administration, teaching, and private investigation. She received a BFA in photography from Concordia University in Montréal (2019) and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2023. Most recently, she is the recipient of the Weinstein Memorial Fellowship award and invited artist collaborating with the Prison + Neighborhood Arts Project University Without Walls degree students at Stateville Prison.

Contact: olivia.ridge@gmail.com

Instagram: @olivea.m