(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