The West

S. Surface
Lisa Kinoshita

May 04 – 27, 2017
Reception / Thursday, May 04, 6–8pm

The now-prevailing political and aesthetic terrain of the Red States has long been deeply familiar to Lisa Kinoshita and S. Surface. For over a decade, the artists – both Japanese-Americans raised in Tacoma, WA with roots in the rural counties of the Pacific Northwest – have used conceptual documentary photography and mixed-media sculpture to stake out their heritage in the American West. Moments of simultaneous community and ruthlessness appear at rodeos, in prisons, and on the hunt. Kinoshita’s metalsmithing and leatherwork, including a collaboration with incarcerated artisans in Montana, highlight the material culture of the western frontier.

Surface exhibits photographs documenting a 5-year run as a competitive bull rider on the East Coast amateur rodeo circuit.

This show is made possible with support from an Artist Trust GAP Grant.