Olivia Zlota Interview -

One painting, "The Last Payphone on Route 66," sold at Sotheby’s for a figure that made Zlota visibly uncomfortable to discuss.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Olivia Zlota interview, artist Olivia Zlota, contemporary painting, The Orphan Cycle, studio visit, art world insights. olivia zlota interview

Last question. If your paintings could speak directly to the person reading this interview, what would they say? One painting, "The Last Payphone on Route 66,"

Securing a sit-down interview with Zlota is notoriously difficult. Preferring the rustle of a paintbrush to the hum of a microphone, she is an artist of few public words but monumental visual sentences. We were fortunate enough to catch her between the final touches of her upcoming "Lucid Ruins" exhibition at Gagosian’s new Miami space. Last question

How did you develop your signature technique? The one everyone tries to imitate now?

For more information on upcoming exhibitions and release dates for the Lucid Ruins catalog, visit her representation page at [Gagosian.com]. To see exclusive behind-the-scenes studio shots from this interview, follow our magazine on Instagram.

This is the definitive —an exploration of her influences, her process, and the haunting nostalgia that fuels her most famous works. The Setting: A Sanctuary of Chaos We met Zlota in her Williamsburg studio on a drizzly Tuesday morning. The space smelled of linseed oil and coffee. Canvases towered against every wall, some slashed with vibrant crimson, others covered in delicate, ghost-like figures. Zlota, dressed in a paint-splattered Carhartt apron and thick-framed glasses, offered a handshake firm enough to belie her wiry frame.