Our third pairing of artists are Janice Nakashima and Aida Lizalde. In this installment, the artists explore the complexities of the migration experience, directly and indirectly.
Far from Home, 2019
Dirt, Found Material, Sticks and Wire, 6 x 7 x 8 ft
Tabla ID, installation view, 2019
36 x 48 x 4 inches, Cyanotype on Fabric, Wood and Ceramic
Tabla (Detail), 2019
Tabla ID, 2019
36 x 48 x 4 inches, Cyanotype on Fabric, Wood and Ceramic
Collateral Debris, 2016
Collateral Debris, Mixed Media, Dimensions variable
La Bruja y el Agua (video still), 2017
Video Performance: 7:10 minutes
Floating, 2019
Burnt Wood, Plastic Sheet and Wire, 5 x 6 x 18 inches
The Ranch (video still), 2018-20
Video Performance: 7:48 minutes
Not Enough Boats, 2019
Mixed Media, 18 x 15 x 2 inches
Feed (video still), 2016
Video Performance: 7:13 minutes
Rimfire 3, 2015
Mixed Media, 20 x 20 inches
Janice Nakashima
In 2002 or 2003, I visited the 750 Gallery and met a few of its members who welcomed me to join. The gallery was located on R. St. It closed shortly after I joined for a couple of years and then reopened on 19th Street. Soon after that, the space was renamed Axis Gallery. It was interesting to learn the different aspects of running the gallery, meeting other local artists, and also having a venue to exhibit work that did not emphasize selling. A few years after, Axis moved to it’s current location on S Street. The gallery continued to evolve with new members. I have really valued the 15 or so years I spent at Axis and have very much enjoyed meeting and working with my colleagues there.
Janice Nakashima is a third generation Japanese American (sansei). She lives and works in Sacramento, CA. Her grandparents emigrated from Japan and worked at various jobs such as farming, cannery work, and gardening. Nakashima’s parents were born in the U.S. and went on to college and professional work. Janice grew up in the Bay Area, then lived to Fresno and then Southern California. She taught for a few years in a variety of places from junior high through college and adult education. She was able to get a MFA at Claremont University and has worked in her studio for many years in various locations, settling in Sacramento. One can say, migration has been a running theme in Nakashima’s life and is expressed in the selected work for this exhibition.
Aida Lizalde
I became an Axis Member in 2017 thanks to Manuel Fernando Rios, Roma Devambu, and Richard Gilles, all current members who encouraged me to apply. I was still an undergraduate student completing my degree in Studio Arts at Davis so paying the membership fees was a challenge. I received help from an anonymous donor to pay for the first few months. I am deeply appreciative of that help and encouragement to continue and grow in my art career.
Aida Lizalde is a Mexican multimedia artist based in Northern California. She obtained a Bachelor of Art in Studio Arts and Minor in Art History from the University of California Davis. Lizalde uses her artwork to raise questions about power structures and explores cultural identity through narrative and symbolism. She invites the viewer to consider and empathize with the struggle of navigating the immigration system, the process of assimilating to American culture and the nuances of having an identity that is continuously shaped by capitalism, neocolonialism, and politics.
The exploration of artistic materials is an essential part of how she expresses her personal experiences in relation to power structures and status. Aida employs multiple media to create her work including construction materials, textiles, performances, video, photography and ceramics. Ceramic is central to her practice; she molds and manipulate clay to explore tactile sensations and thinks about the connections between her body, labor, and the world around her.