Drake Commissary / 128 Sterling Rd/ 12-3 pm February 18:

Livia Roscioli's paintings are bright, charming, and contain the occassional weird or bizzare scene. She may surprise viewers this Sunday at the Drake Commissary when they come across a bloody head or toilet shot amidst the flowers. Livia arrived in 2016 from Rome with her partner by way of Paris where at the time she dabbled in multiple art practices including writing, photography and theatre. Throughout the various mediums, however she states that she "was not interested in technique or learning how to do a certain thing traditionally". Having a studio for the first time (she is currently at Akin Dufferin) she says, has completely energized the way she works.

Roscioli says she feels most herself and at ease when she is working at her studio. When asked why she chooses to work in a style that may be labeled naiive or childlike, she answers that she has always fought against the aesthetic ideal, that she cares more about the expression and the idea. "It's about what's inside, not about the quality of perfection. It's about how it makes you feel" She admits there is something about children's drawings that she seeks as a painter, an ability to lean towards abandon, to let one's self go without expectation.

Livia will be selling paintings, prints, bags, and painted clothes and underwear this Saturday at 128 Sterling Road, at the Drake's newest location The Commissary; billed as a bakery, bar and community hub. She's also selling some of her original drawings on cards, although she adds "I don't want people to see my work and think it is like a big Happy Birthday card. There's a lot of adult stuff in it too. It should always be more than that."