Olivia Wood’s A Casual Conversation is anything but casual. Drawing on an hour-long conversation between a group of friends sharing personal, traumatic experiences, this large-scale work confronts the viewer with its openness and honesty. Wood says: “The piece comes from a place of love, trust, and friendship in which my wonderful friends felt comfortable enough to share some deeply personal experiences. As women, the things we discussed seem inevitable. The topics we discussed are considered taboo and always seem to be spoken about in hushed tones when we should be advocating for one another, making as much noise as we can. I want to dedicate this piece to the incredible women that contributed their stories to the piece, as the trust they have in me to turn their trauma into awareness is beyond admirable.”