Immersion Q&A [Question & Artist]: Olga

Meet Olga Lah. We are so excited to welcome back Olga to the Brea Gallery in our upcoming show! She was gracious enough to answer a few questions about her process for us to share with everyone.

[BREA ART GALLERY]: What medium are you working in for Brea Gallery's Immersion group show? 

[Olga Lah]: As of right now, I’m experimenting with materials to explore the best medium to work in.  I normally use commonplace, mundane objects so it will likely involve some accessible material.

[BREA ART GALLERY]: How did you become interested in this type of large scale work? 

[Olga Lah]: I became inspired to work in large scale after experiencing pieces by artists like Tony Smith, Richard Serra, Choi Jeon-Hwa, Monika Sosnowska. I am attracted to an idea of overwhelming the viewer and disrupting ordinary space.

[BREA ART GALLERY]: What are the obstacles in creating work like this?

[Olga Lah]: My obstacles usually lie in finding help to create an installation– since my work is large I often need many hands involved in the construction. Storage is also an issue.  

 [BREA ART GALLERY]: Who encourages you to create?

[Olga Lah]: My husband is my greatest advocate. He encouraged me to become an artist and he has consistently supported the many endeavors it takes to work as an artist. He wants me to have the freedom and space to pursue my biggest dreams.

[BREA ART GALLERY]: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given about being an artist and creating art? 

[Olga Lah]: Being a good artist is not based on skill and talent alone. The burden can be lifted from the idea of the genius. Instead, commitment and steadfastness is needed to become successful.  A stick-to-itiveness in creating art is important.  Also, having a long-range vision instead of expecting quick success is key.

[BREA ART GALLERY]: If you weren’t working as an artist, what would you be doing?

[Olga Lah]: My fantasy job would be professional world traveler or contemporary dancer!

[BREA ART GALLERY]: What's your next project? 

[Olga Lah]: Before Immersion opens I will be in Neoteric, an exhibition at Golden West College Gallery in Huntington Beach, opening Jan 24. I will be in a show at Concordia University Gallery that opens Mar 1. I also will be installing my second public project at LAX sometime in the future. 

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Olga Lah was born and raised in the South Bay area. She now resides in Long Beach, California. She received a double B.A. in Studio Art and Art History from the University of California at Riverside. She also received an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary.She creates site-specific installations that explore themes of memory, perception and transcendence.She has exhibited at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles; Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach; Torrance Art Museum, Torrance; Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions and at the Venice Arsenale in Italy. Her work has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Korea Times, LA Weekly, OC Weekly, KCET Artbound and Los Angeles Magazine.Her awards include an Artist Fellowship with the Arts Council for Long Beach, the Korea Arts Foundation of America Bienniel Award and the Goldman Fellowship for residency at the Djerassi Resident Artist Program

See more of Olga’s work here.

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Thanks so much to Olga Lah for her time to answer these questions and letting us get to know her better! Be sure to check out Olga’s latest work on display in Brea Gallery’s group installation show Immersion, opening February 9, 2019.