Invasive Species: A Collaboration with Toodlers

The drawings in Invasive Species: A Collaboration with Toddlers is a spontaneous and unassuming collaboration with the artist’s preschool children. Born out of an accident where a botanical line drawing was left unattended and scribbled on by Oliver’s two year-old son, The series reflects on the difficulty caretakers have in maintaining a sense of self or individuality, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than resist the invasive and curious nature of young children and their constant desire to participate in the artist’s work, Oliver created daily botanical line drawings with journal like entries and left them unattended for her children to explore with diverse art materials. The resulting works from this collaborative exercise is a symbol of the unique symbiosis between young children and their parents, all of which has been heightened by isolation and home-bound nature of the pandemic.