Crowned In Taurus
Charcoal and acrylic on canvas, 40 cm × 33 cm × 1 cm, 2026
 
Artwork Statement
Crowned In Taurus explores identity through the lens of symbolism, resilience, and personal transformation. Drawing on astrological references, the work uses the figure of Taurus as a metaphor for strength, endurance, and grounded presence in the face of uncertainty.
Rendered in charcoal and acrylic, the composition balances softness and intensity, combining gestural mark-making with defined figurative elements. The crowned figure suggests both vulnerability and authority, reflecting the tension between external perception and internal experience.
The work emerges from a period of interruption and reflection, shaped by shifting personal circumstances. Rather than presenting a fixed identity, it captures a moment of becoming—where selfhood is negotiated through change and persistence.
Within Distributed Worlds, the work reflects on how identity is formed across layered experiences, where personal narratives, symbolic systems, and lived realities intersect.
 
Artist Bio
Erica Olina is a Philippines-born artist currently based in Australia, working across drawing and painting. Her practice combines figurative imagery with symbolic and astrological references, exploring identity, resilience, and transformation through personal and intuitive processes. Working with charcoal and acrylic, she constructs layered compositions that merge emotional expression with mythic and archetypal forms, reflecting lived experience shaped by displacement, introspection, and change.