Ordinary Devotion

“The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.” James Baldwin, Nothing Personal

Ordinary Devotion contemplates the mutual reliance that sustains enduring relationships. It encompasses the act of real care; of intuitive dedication that shows up imperfectly but without question. Moya reflects on how different it feels to be cared for after having cared for someone else, and how this kind of connection has become a platitude in a culture shaped by individualism and greed. The work insists that mutual reliance is not a weakness or failure of independence, but essential to our survival and integral to a meaningful existence.

This new body of work is Moya’s first venture into sculpture. She undertakes large, emotive objects that stretch long across the floor or pile high to prop up another slouching form. They embody the shifting roles within dependence; exhausted, emptied-out surrender and resilient, unwavering strength. Some forms lean heavily and awkwardly against others, their bodies worn like rocks smoothed over time by a river. Warm color is embedded within their surfaces, with the artist’s fingerprints remaining visible. Traces of the past gather in folds and crevices, suggesting bonds that have endured through time. Others stand upright, resourced, and stable- a monument to the quiet assurance of “I’m on my way.”

The work draws from Moya’s experiences with motherhood, marriage, family, and female friendship. It ruminates on the vulnerability of anchoring oneself to another person, and the guilt and shame that can accompany the need to be held. To allow oneself to rely on another is to become bound, not only once, but again and again through an ongoing act of intense trust. The work offers a strength that counters the weight of existence. It is hope for a connection that resists loneliness, a community that can envelop through exhaustion, and a love that withstands fear.

Artist Biography: Olive Moya (b. 1988) is a visual artist from Southern California, currently living and working in Denver. She received her BFA from Otis College of Art and Design in 2011. Her work has been exhibited at institutions and galleries including the Denver Art Museum, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Dairy Arts Center, Bell Projects, Another Gallery, Night Lights Denver, ReCreative, and Dateline Gallery. She has completed public commissions for organizations such as Denver Arts & Venues, Art in Public Places (Vail), the Museum of Outdoor Arts, and Streetwise Art.