The Swim Team: Exploring Uniformity and Identity
In The Swim Team, Alicia Bourley turns her gaze toward the quiet discipline of conformity — and the unspoken resistance that lives beneath it. This new series reflects how women have historically been trained to align with social expectations in both appearance and behaviour.
The swimmers, dressed in near-identical uniforms, represent the pressure of sameness — a world where blending in was often safer than standing out. Their poised postures and measured expressions speak to a collective effort to perform, to belong, and to fit within boundaries that were not self-made.
Yet, within this discipline, Alicia introduces subtle ruptures: frills, folds, and textures that disrupt the strict lines. These out-of-place details become small acts of rebellion — symbols of individuality persisting under layers of conformity. The result is a visual conversation between order and expression, structure and softness, belonging and becoming.
Each portrait in The Swim Team carries this delicate tension. They invite us to reflect on how identity is shaped, restrained, and ultimately reclaimed. The series celebrates femininity not as compliance, but as endurance — the quiet strength to remain distinct even within imposed uniformity.
Alicia’s latest body of work continues her exploration of womanhood through symbolism, texture, and restraint. The Swim Team sits within her broader artistic narrative — an ongoing study of how women navigate visibility, expectation, and self-definition.
Explore The Swim Team
Discover the full collection and the stories behind each piece at Alicia Bourley Art.