I am a visual artist working in collage, assemblage sculpture and altered books. My practice explores identity, memory and the history of the African diaspora. Vintage and contemporary images collide to convey how the past informs the present.
I am a visual artist working in collage, assemblage sculpture and altered books. My practice explores identity, memory and the history of the African diaspora. Vintage and contemporary images collide to convey how the past informs the present.
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 a Black artist, 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 sacrifice. 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 Black 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 is a collage and book artist who works primarily in acrylics, paper and found objects. Informally trained, Myers Bulmash began her career making handmade cards. After her father’s death in 2006, the artist felt compelled to take more personal risks in her creative life. Questions of identity, trust and the imperfect memory now drive most of her work. The artist aims to nudge the viewer into recognizing our shared stories, especially those narratives that are usually experienced in isolation.
Myers Bulmash is a featured artist in “The Story of Art in America” docuseries, streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Her collage work resides in the city of Seattle’s art collection (which includes art by Dale Chihuly and Kara Walker), as well as six other municipal and institutional collections. The artist has received grants from the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation and other arts benefactors. Her work has also been featured in the Seattle Times, on Seattle TV stations and in the Washington Post.
Myers Bulmash exhibits her work in group and solo shows throughout the Seattle metro area. On the East Coast, Myers Bulmash is represented by Morton Fine Art Gallery in Washington, DC.