Olivia Shih
she/her
Alameda, CA, USA
Olivia Shih is a jeweler, educator, and writer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Born in the US to immigrant parents and raised on the subtropical island of Taiwan, she is an avid observer of human behavior and nuances. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from Columbia University and a BFA in Jewelry and Metal Arts from the California College of the Arts. In addition to running her art practice and fine jewelry business, Olivia is an adjunct professor at the California College of the Arts and the assistant editor at Metalsmith magazine.
“Sisters are lovely, dangerous creatures. They are your first love and your first heartbreak. They will tease you and laugh at your jokes, but if you displease them, they will skewer you with cruel words and leave you to simmer in pain.”
“My work is about the intimacy and distance between sisters."
How does your work relate to the theme connection?
“I find meaning in genuine human connection, and I want my work to connect with others. If my work doesn't resonate with others, then I need to return to the metaphorical drawing table."
What role does connection play in your creative process?
“My queerness gives me an outsider's perspective to societal expectations and values. It helps me see the hegemonic systems in place that were built by humans, and therefore can be taken down by humans. On the flip side, it allows me to empathize with both friends and foes, to feel deeply for humans caught in their own pain and self-destruction."
What connection(s) does your queerness make to the world around you?
"Sisters 01", African blackwood, maple, Gabon Ebony, silk, 5.9" x 3.14" x 1.1", 2023Anything else you would like to share about this work? This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
“I'm very new to working with wood, so I've been reading about responsible forestry and sustainable wood production. The wood used in Sisters 01 comes from a business that claims to practice responsible forestry, but the more I read, the more I question how sustainable they truly are. There's a still a lot of learning I need to do in terms of sourcing wood ethically."