BEST PRINCESS OF POP

Mention the name Kathie Olivas and three things come to mind. a) She holds the Planet title for Best Most Prolific Curator; b) She’s got her artistic antenna tuned in to every artist under 30 (give or take a couple a decades); c) Now she’s far more than the Bay area’s art scene diva. Olivas is our choice as first Princess of Pop. Local spin has it that Olivas brings a unique, independent vision to Tampa Bay’s fertile pop scene, where, truth be told, local young ‘uns with a penchant for pop make art that looks too much like everybody else’s stuff. But our Kathie is anything but a cookie-cutter type. How about her little parody figures wearing cutesy Olivas couture? Who would even dare to appropriate Ms. Olivas’ bloomer girls? Check out her unbeatable strategy: She dons real or fictional personas and then creates fresh visual commentaries on issues such as women, identity, eroticism and female inferiority. She departed her Hyde Park Fine Arts curating nest, but look for her to continue organizing shows there and at Covivant. What else is in her future? Watch her art travel the national pop circuit.

ARTIST: KATHIE OLIVAS ⎮ COUNTRY: TAMPA/FLORIDA/US ⎮ WEB: www.miserychildren.com