Brigita Ozolins: Strength in Numbers
Brigita Ozolins has few parallels in Tasmanian art. She makes immersive art by paying particular attention to the context of her works, and is known for creating environments, using sound and making performative readings of rare books part of her work.
- Andrew Harper, critic
Everything around you is mathematics. Everything around you is numbers.
- Shakuntala Devi
Numbers are the language of nature.
- Galileo Galilei
Strength in Numbers is an exhibition of new work that celebrates the power, symbolism and visual beauty of numbers. It features Prime numbers, the Fibonacci sequence, Pi, the magical 42, which according to Douglas Adam’s Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy, is the answer to the mystery of the universe, as well as mathematical symbols and numbers of cultural significance.
Strength in Numbers is a reaction to the chaos of current global events. I turned to numbers because numbers are the basic components of the language used to calculate the way our universe operates. Numbers are the language of nature, said Galileo, and numbers do not lie.
The exhibition consists of twenty-two birch ply panels inlaid with black acrylic and hot pink mirrored Perspex. While black can be associated with darkness and mourning, it also represents elegance, power, strength and mystery. The black inlays are both shiny and matte, reflecting light but at times also seeming to disappear into their dark stained background. The black is juxtaposed with pink, a colour that represents warmth, comfort, peace and femininity. It is also the colour of love. In these works, I have used hot pink, contrasting the seriousness, mystery and depth of black with vibrance, playfulness and boldness.
Brigita Ozolins
August 2025
Since the mid 1990s, Brigita has exhibited in over 20 solo and 40 group exhibitions within Tasmania, interstate and overseas. Her commissions include large scale projects for David Walsh’s Museum of Old and New Art, Detached Cultural Organisation, The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, the State Library of Tasmania, and the Soros Foundation, Latvia.
Brigita has also received numerous artist grants, including the 2008 inaugural Qantas Contemporary Art Award, and Australia Council and Arts Tasmania grants. She has undertaken residencies in Ventspils (2023, 2024) New York (2013), Riga (2008), London (2002), Paris (2002), Gorge Cottage in Launceston (2005), and Port Arthur, Tasmania (2007).
