‘Where's Your Head At’

A Skull Art Interpretation by Artist Olivia Bonilla

Livibon Exclusive Release

About the Collection:

It is no secret the skulls have been a muse of many artists throughout art history. A subject of the soul fleeting life on earth, or rather the contrary vanity and celebration of life. The symbol of the skull has embodied a sense of nostalgia in the way pop culture has romanticized the subject.

In a world where everything has been interpreted every-which-sideways, I wanted to take on the challenge to interpret the subject from a perspective of sweet excess.

In this mini collection “Where's Your Head At” I explore the skulls as a vessel to the excess noise in the mind. The confectionary landscapes become whimsical vignettes, of wants and desires.

Skull Island

Sea Carry Me to Land - Water Nomad

Welcome to the Car Show

The Side Effect of Sprinkles

Where's Your Head At, in Defeat to Picking Up the Pieces

Till Death Do Us Part

About the Process:

In creating this collection, the idea of excess was hard to escape from. The skulls became a new vessel of exploration for my cement landscapes, presenting new challenges and unexpected surprises. Despite the larger vessel than my more recognizable pieces, ‘The Cupcake Collection’ or the ‘Mega Gummy Bear’, I remained focused on composition as the challenge.

When intuitively assembling the pieces I would not consider the composition finished till there was continuity in scale, even if that meant more. It was an interesting challenge in letting go and allowing the assemblage part of the process, continue naturally. This ultimately lent itself to a visual emphasis on excess.

Personally, with growing my family this past year I've been striving for the opposite, less is more. Simplifying life where I can, removing unnecessary elements that are no longer serving me and my family; and so naturally I've been in that headspace.

There were moments in creating this collection that we’re uncomfortable, however the playful narratives and color worlds are what reeled me back. The ability to keep the world of play active within an exploration of a new concept, gave me artistic growth- “What would a world of iridescent diamonds look like?'' or, “In a surfer’s paradise… can I blur the line between life on land, and the ecstasy of catching the perfect wave?”

Each piece in this collection is a larger than life, world of its own. The work presents a compositional moment at every corner. Life wanted simpler, but the work wanted controlled excess.