“Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes” – Acts 9:18
Artist Biography & Statement:
Olivia Brouwer is an interdisciplinary artist holding a BFA from the Art and Art History joint program at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College. As a partially blind artist, Brouwer explores the idea of blindness through painting, printmaking and sculpture, melding organic and geometric abstraction with scenes inspired by natural organisms and spiritual teachings relating to vision from both a metaphorical and literal sense.
Inspired by the Rorschach Inkblot Test, she addresses blindness by examining ideas surrounding belief, meaning, clarity, and sight. Her most recent work explores visual art accessibility and the activation of human senses beyond the reliance of vision, enabling an inclusive experience for both non-sighted and sighted audiences.
Find more of her work online at oliviabrouwer.com.
“The Scales That Fall From Our Eyes borrows imagery from the Biblical story of Saul, using the scales as a metaphor to represent the change that takes place when shedding prejudiced or inaccessible traditions in order to support justice and inclusivity for marginalized communities. Additionally accessible through touch and sound, the artworks are intentionally obscured visually or translated into the Braille language, drawing attention to the necessity of including non-sighted audiences in the art community by changing the way we ‘view’ art.
The use of abstracted visuals and the Braille language exhibits a relationship between the activation of one’s senses and their perception, inviting visitors to interact with art in new ways and to learn to interpret their experiences in ways that do not necessarily depend on vision.” – Olivia Brouwer
