Beyond the Billboards

After finishing graduate school and moving to Houston, Karyn Olivier, an artist-in-residence at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, discovered the dizzying number of billboards and signs on Houston’s freeways looked and felt differently than those in her hometown of New York. Reflecting on the observation, Olivier concluded that the perpetual traffic and clutter of New York brought the experience of physical weight to the huge structures. In contrast, Houston’s billboards appeared to float in the sky as people simply whizzed by, barely taking notice.

Building on the essence of this revelation, Olivier has explored billboards and signs as a medium for artistic expression for years. From her exhibition in Victoria, Texas where she photographed isolated signs along the freeway to her celebration of individuals and community in the Dupree Park installation, for Olivier, billboards are not just about communicating advertising (although she admits they can and should be used for that purpose), they can also be used to explore the more abstract: natural, unnatural, real, fake, art and commerce.

Olivier’s latest endeavor, Inbound: Houston, is a public art project facilitated by the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, Moores School of Music, DiverseWorks and CBS Outdoor. On view October 26 - November 22 along Houston’s near-town freeways, Olivier will replace the advertisements on 13 billboards with images of the urban landscape that would be visible if the billboards did not exist - the sky, trees and buildings will now be “revealed.”

Attempting to reengage the commuters with their surroundings and essentially asking them to once again pay attention to what’s being “advertised,” these pieces of art will be scattered across some of the most congested and utilized freeways in the city, many of which are inside the 610 Loop. A subtle invitation to play a game of chance, Olivier explains, “if the weather conditions do not match those captured on the billboard photos, the art will appear as an interesting statement … Yet, when conditions are such that the weather and light match the photos on the billboard, the experience will be more surreal.”

For more information on Karyn Olivier or to track the project, please visit KarynOlivier.BlogSpot.com.

Q&A with Karyn Olivier

What are the basics of your process? 

My process usually evolves in relationship to the space. Sometimes I discover a site, at other times one is offered. I often research the site’s history and surroundings or just spend time in it. From there, something will eventually be revealed, allowing me to create a response.

Who or what has been the most influential to your work? 

Rene Magritte, Martin Puryear, playgrounds, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Anne Carson, Ann Hamilton, Italo Calvino, Sigrid Sandstrom, Haruki Murakami, Donald Judd, Isaac Julien and lately the Paramin blue devils.

What's your favorite part of being an artist in Houston? 

The fish tacos. Bubble tea. The Menil Collection. The exciting arts community. The support.  The fact that anything’s possible here.

The Spacetaker Artist SPEAKeasy

Karyn Olivier will be presenting at the October Spacetaker Artist SPEAKeasy— where, every third Wednesday of the month, Spacetaker features artists from varying disciplines with informal presentations about their work through which the audience can glean further insight into the artist, their aesthetic and creative process.  SPEAKeasy is hosted the third Wednesday of every month at Spacetaker ARC at Winter Street Studios, 2101 Winter Street, 6:30 p.m.  For more information, please visit Spacetaker.org.

Inbound: Houston Launch Party

What: Join in the official launch celebration of Inbound: Houston with live music, billboard viewings, an artist talk with Olivier and additional surprises.

When: October 26, 6-8 p.m.

Where: DiverseWorks, 1117 E. Freeway

Admission: Free
Information: 713.743.5548