I Fought the Law (Delware) 2016 Archival Pigment Print 66
All image credits: Olivia Locher In art as in film, her tastes skew towards the fantastical. Growing up in idyllic isolation in the woods of Pennsylvania, she claims she was loner as a child. “I was home-schooled and my parents really allowed me to have as much creativity as I wanted. I feel like every day of my life revolved around reading fashion magazines and playing dress-up. And then, around the time I was in high school, I found a camera and I started trying to imitate what I saw in magazines. Using myself, using friends, and I think that foundation just allowed me to always be in this dreamer kind of state, where I can separate myself from reality in dreamlands.” One might think that this escapist superpower would come in handy in the age of Brexit and Trump, but these days, Locher doesn’t shy away from reality as much as she once might have. In 2017, she created a social mediafriendly series called #45protestsigns, designed for easy sharing online and IRL. “I thought it would be possible for people to download them, print them, and use them their own way, which was cool because I saw a few people did do that, and that was awesome,” she said. On the oft-raised question of art and politics, Locher said, “I think politics just naturally seep in the work because of your own frustration or wanting to make a commentary on what’s going on. I never tried to be deliberately political, but I think it’s just a way of expressing your rage, or your thoughts.” Typically, however, Locher’s work falls closer to fashion houses than to the White House. The little girl who spent her days poring over fashion magazines must have nearly perished from excitement when W Magazine commissioned her to shoot fashion week. Her stints in the fashion world find a way of seeping into her own work. “I would go to a shoot and it would be hard for me to turn off things that I heard, or they would keep inspiring me and popping up into my personal projects. So I think that the more and more that I’m exposed to that world, the more ideas I get about it.” How to Freshen Up, <strong>2019</strong>, Archival Pigment Print Her latest idea is a long-term project born from a collaboration with a W Magazine beauty editor. This forthcoming beauty book will transcend the fashion industry’s traditionally narrow, prescriptive notions of beauty in favor of a holistic approach. Rooted in wellness and self-expression, Locher’s own ideas about beauty are in constant evolution. “I think [beauty is] just people who beat to their own drum,” she said. “For the longest time, I was thinking beauty was such a specific thing, but the more and more that I meet other artist, just people working in the industry, you realize beauty is anything and everything. So this project, I hope, can convey a large message of what beauty is.” By her own definition, Olivia Locher is certainly beautiful. Practicing what she preaches, she makes wellness a daily priority with a collection of self-care rituals. Even the artistic process becomes a channel for healing. “It’s funny, because whenever I make photos, I don’t necessarily think of people seeing them. They almost feel like exercises that I need to go through myself,” rework and release the project. she said. “Whenever I make a photo, I feel really happy that I did it, and I guess that could be a stopping point for me. It almost feels like therapy, but then deciding to share it, that’s kind of the final step.” Luckily, sharing does play into the process, so we can all look forward to more work from Locher in the years to come. Wary of becoming a one-hit wonder, she’s open to new ideas and new media, and excited to see what the creative muses will deliver with time. Besides her beauty book, she’s currently working on an album with her roommate and brother, musician Brandon Locher. After their mom found a hard drive of music the two made when Olivia was 16 and Brandon was 22, the two decided to Perhaps longing for the sylvan seclusion of her formative years, Locher might be sharing her future projects from a little cabin in the forest. “This is maybe premature, but I’m looking at a house in the woods to move out of the city eventually. It’s been a goal of mine for a long time, but my goal would be to only have a landline and turn on the cell phone when you need it.” Until then, catch her creating, dreaming and floating through the city on airplane mode. @olivialocher 67