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