Statement
Untitled (2021) is a part of an ongoing photographic investigation that works to reclaim the space of the male-dominated narrative. This photographic practice creates nuanced, open-ended, fluid depictions of the female experience to discover new ways of seeing and relating to the feminine. This involves cultivating a finely tuned gaze to lay bare the unknown and tentatively traverse the spaces that exist between the construction of our identities in our roles as women and the view we have of ourselves.
Olive Lipscombe uses the medium of photography to explore complex and abundant depictions of the feminine experience. Lipscombe experiments with a hybrid genre that combines art and documentary photography to capture intimate and powerful portraits. In 2020, Lipscombe completed a Master of Research (Fine Art) thesis and accompanying body of work which was presented as her first solo exhibition; Au nom de la mere (2020). The title, Au nom de la mère (In the name of the Mother) refers Lipscombe’s French heritage and mother’s maiden name, du Bignon. Au nom de la mère celebrates the strength and ambivalence of the maternal relationship and an enduring return to the mother. In more recent work, Lipscombe has continued to examine photographic depictions of the feminine experience drawing on feminist theory as the underpinning basis for her projects. The experience of the maternal via the relationship with her mother has shaped Lipscombe’s sense of self as a woman, daughter and photographer. Lipscombe’s current practice documents the ambiguous realms of love, loss, trauma, passion inherent in her psyche and present in her feminine experience and womanhood. She construct’s personal and palpable tableaus that reveal a vulnerability present in the power imbalance between photographer and subject. The interconnections and hidden tensions are made visible through Olive Lipscombe’s images, exploring contemporary expressions of feminine experience.