A polyglot, versatile, shy of honours artist, that doesn’t like to show off much. Liv Odin prefers to present her works at the corners of the squares, in the parks and in the quiet European campings, in small associations and clubs, small theatres and other places, specially alternative ones but not pretentious.
In some of her poems, like in the whole Plastic soul, she adoptes a style without punctuation marks. This makes you remind the last chapter of the Ulysses of Joyce, the author so much loved by the artist, whose influence, nevertheless, is more evident in some of her previous works in prose. Unavoidable, also because of the absence of pompous terms, the comparison with Różewicz, one of the artist’s favourite Polish poets.
After the nazist tragedy that devasted Europe, Różewicz maintained the necessity to reinvent poetry and to give words a new meaning, while reappropriating the use of a simpler language. These peculiarities you surely find in the works of this poet who’s endowed with the non common talent to express through not extremely affected words even the most complicate concepts and not ordinary experiences. Her verses result refined even when she uses a strong language, like in “Ma-Tuma” or “This house”.
There are now and there quotations and litterary or historical references of which, nevertheless, the artist doesn’t abuse at all. They are elements that have always their own precise and justified reason to be just where they are set. They are never used as a pretest, but they are spontaneous, necessary, essential to the same existence of the poem which they are part of. They are never a pure and useless ostentation of culture like unfortunately it often happens in other contemporary poets.
In her works, she alternates delicate images with strongest ones, some times violent ones, often against the spread narrow mindedness. A real revolutionary of art and poetry, who has never done anything to make herself known and appreciated. An artist that writes and paints mostly for herself and for a few close people and who is often discovered by chance.
Who meets her works recognizes immediately the artistic value of them and are surprised not to find her name among the main international famous artists’. On the other hand, you can get the impression that success frightens this poet-painter. She often shrinks from the society gatherings that now and then she finds herself attending and where she collects compliments and appreciation that seem to amaze her a bit, like she were almost unconscious of her innate talent.
Nevertheless, she’s not such an easy artist. Even the most intimist and quiet works, still contain a certain strength, you can notice a continuous, deep, total involvement. The subjects she deal with may some times arise lively reactions, as defense of human and animal rights, attacks to prejudices, to dullness, to psychiatry, to unjustice, to abuses of any kind, to false conformism, to hypocrisy.
“Integrity is important. An artist can’t renounce to express her/himself free, otherwise she/he stops being an artist, to become a trader. Rather that creeping and submitting to the haughtiness of power, it’s better to give up, to keep silent. But it’s much better, anyway, to fight for freedom, at least for freedom of speech, of expression”
The writer-painter maintains as well that “...anything which is a creative product should be simply caught, felt and breathed. In poetry, like in painting as well, in music and in any other form of art, the feelings of the artist should never be explained”.
The varied, poliedric and always very personal style of this artist, stir up precise emotions even when the verses, at first sight, may appear obscure, hermetic, mysterious or when you don’t n have a complete knowledge of places and events that she quotes.
It’s enough to read any of her poems, to feel immediately the urgent wish of keeping on the reading and to deepening the knowledge of this precious niche artist.
...........................................................................................................................David Veiss
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