Kitchen Talk 03
olinga.golden
“Bolden’s works deal with Black American Identities, Urban Decay, and the ways that we use archetypes to make sense of the world around us.”
Introduce yourself, list three things we need to know about you or your practice.
Hey I’m Olinga, I’m currently completing my BFA at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Medium wise I keep it very rudimentary. When I paint I work mainly with oil on canvas, and when I’m not painting I work using ink on paper.
What’s your creative process?
For me it all starts in the sketchbook, it travels with me everywhere and becomes a way for me to “catch” ideas as they come to me. If I don’t catch that idea and write it down or draw it out then I lose it. Different sketchbook ideas get are brought together for a larger drawing or painting.
What factors have influenced your creation?
Music & Film, music in film. I love the suspension of disbelief and just letting oneself be totally taken by a film. The drama and the atmosphere that is cultivated is something I think is appealing and I love the escapist elements of really strong films. Music is immediate and can be immediate in its effect on a person, and I love that immediacy.
How does your medium govern your artistic practice?
Right now I am working the most with ink. It’s instantaneous, once the line is placed it's immovable and can't be obscured. This leads me to being more deliberate and focused with the overall image. It also brings the challenge of how to keep work painterly without it being illustrative.
What’s a standard studio day for you?
Currently I don't have a dedicated studio space. I work 3-4 days a week on top of being a full time student (no studio classes unfortunately). On the odd day that I have off or the late night with no obligations the next morning, that's when I can be in the studio. It's impractical but you find ways to maneuver around it and still feel sort of fulfilled.
Personal experience vs. work?
My work isn't overtly autobiographical. I can't divorce myself and my own experiences from my art( and why would I want to) but right now I feel much more interested in exploring ideas or challenges that exist beyond my very small sliver of experience. I want to let people draw their own conclusions and hold their own beliefs, but my work does have a message. If someone doesn't get it it's cool, but if they do then even better.
What’s been on your mind lately?
Nothing deep. I just wish I had more time to do the things that I want to do.
How’s life outside of studio?
Well. Life outside of the studio makes me wish I had more of a life involving the studio. The most exciting thing happening is with music. I love playing and performing for people and I'm happy i've been getting to do more of that lately. But yeah just working almost full time and writing essays bleh.
Share one favorite item of yours.
I'm gonna cheat and pick two. The first one being my guitar, I love it and I love playing and being absorbed by music. The second is this golden belt buckle I own. I bought it at a thrift store in highschool and its been one of my favorite things since.
Plans for the future?
Taking it a step at a time.
Step one: Finish Undergrad
Step Two: Find employment and a studio space
Step Three: Total global conquest and domination, crowning myself the supreme ruler of earth and all its subjects.
What do you most desire?
Right now its the thing that is always the most impossible for anyone which is more time. I wish I had more time to make work and make music and explore and play and all those fanciful things. But i like paying my rent and affording food so I make due with what I have
And finally, how do you like your eggs?
Hardboiled ;)
Olinga Bolden (b. 2001, Los Angeles) is an artist based in Chicago, IL. He is currently earning his BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.