Meet Artist noé olivas
In the Worker Patch Series, noé olivas celebrates the fullness of the lives of three women whose labor sustains the community of Borrego Springs: Penny, Rafaela, and Silvia. This series takes the physical form of monumental versions of workers’ name badges, carefully hand-made, larger-than-life tributes to their personal stories.
Each piece is completed with an essential audio component, a recording of a conversation between the artist and each of the three women. They discuss their names and what they mean to them, their hopes, their challenges and joys, and how they wish to be remembered.
Installed in the Community Room and lobby of the Borrego Springs Public Library, an important gathering place for the town, Penny, Rafaela, and Silvia honor the complexity of their stories and elevates their visibility in the community.
Listen and read the stories of Penny, Rafaela, and Silvia.
noé olivas received his MFA from the University of Southern California in 2019, and his BFA from the University of San Diego, California in 2013. His work has been exhibited at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles; The Front Arte Y Cultura Gallery, San Ysidro, California; Napa Hall Gallery at the California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo; Residency Art Gallery, Inglewood; San Diego Art Institute, California; and the San Diego Museum of Art, among many others.
olivas has also performed at Open Mind Art Space, Los Angeles; The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles; Hauser & Wirth, Los Angeles; and the NADA and Prizm Art Fair, Miami with collaborator Patrisse Cullors, as well as the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles as a solo performer.
With Patrisse Cullors and alexandre ali reza dorriz, olivas is co-founder of the Crenshaw Dairy Mart, an art hub in South Central Los Angeles and Inglewood. He was born in occupied Kumeyaay land (San Diego, CA) and lives and works in South Central Los Angeles.