(Seattle, WA b. USA)
To paraphrase the artist David Hammons, my aim is to mess around with symbols to create
outrageously magical things.
As a visual artist, I am obsessed with joining elements that seem to have no relationship to each
other. As an artist parent, I am driven to spotlight the contradictory narratives in American
society that marginalize the most vulnerable. These collisions of ideas lead me to work in three
mediums: collage, assemblage sculpture and altered books.
In each medium, I explore issues of identity, trust and imperfect memories. My collages layer
translucent images over opaque scenes to illustrate how the past continues to shape the
present. Assemblage sculptures combine 2D and 3D elements to flesh out flattened narratives
attached to the Black body. Niches and tiny containers in my altered books compel the viewer to
adjust focus onto the individual realities hidden in our shared myths.
I choose to center African American and female experiences, to expand the classical practice of
using an individual narrative to illuminate the general human condition. My hope is that my
symbolic language creates a much-needed magic for the viewer -- especially those who
experience a daily sense of erasure or isolation. –LISA MYERS BULMASH, 2020