Olivia Arratia
Olivia Arratia’s work engages in the social, cultural, and religious aspects of Hispanic culture, as well as the design elements of where she was born and raised in Southern California. Olivia seeks to understand herself and her heritage better through the research of where she comes from and who has gone before her.
Olivia’s media focus is on alternative photographic prints, photographic prints, and photographic book art. She draws inspiration from contemporary artists like Andreas Gursky and Maurizio Di Iorio with her use of design, color, and subject matter. Olivia’s artistic goals are those of building an environment that encourages responsibility, collaboration, creativity and depth. She has a strong interest in teaching and works toward the betterment of a person through academia.
The Great Divide
The Great Divide is a series that focuses on the gentrification within two cities, Oak Cliff, Texas and Boyle Heights, California. Gentrification is defined as “the process of rebuilding homes and businesses in a deteriorating area (such as an urban neighborhood) accompanied by an influx of middle-class or wealthy people and that often results in the displacement of earlier, usually poorer residents” – Merriam Webster. The basis of gentrification may sound like a harmless notion at first, but when higher rental rates, property tax, and mortgages become a prominent outcome, it forces people of lower income to relocate or struggle with a new financial burden. Gentrification harms the most vulnerable, and it may not seem like it when you’re drinking your $7.99 latte from your ‘new favorite coffee shop’.
Higher rates of gentrification can be found in minority groups such as those of Hispanic/Latino origin. Oak Cliff and Boyle Heights are primary examples as the displacement of lower income Hispanic families continues. In Oak Cliff, you can find million-dollar homes just across the street from low income neighborhoods and apartments, creating a divide of race and ethnicities within these sectors. Boyle Heights is home to over seventy-four thousand Hispanic people, making them 94.5% of the city’s population, yet they still are met with the urban colonization of gentrification. This series draws inspiration from contemporary artist Giovanni Valderas. The Great Divide acts as a roadmap and a representational viewing of gentrified neighborhoods and Hispanic/Latino families losing their ability to compete and gaining a higher cost of living.
Mi Corazon No Esta Lejos Del Tuyo
The experience of displacement is familiar due to separation from where I grew up and the people I grew up with. This displacement causes me to treasure-hunt areas that remind me of home. I start my pursuit of searching for a greater sense of self through location. I then discover that the idea of home is not just a physical place but names, colors, saints, prayers, and architecture. I realize that my heart is not far from the ones I love when I am surrounded by my culture.