Lisa Alvarado (born 1982) is an American visual artist and harmonium player.Beckwith, Naomi and Roelstraete, Dieter (2015)
"The Freedom Principle: Experiments in Art and Music, 1965 to Now"
p. 40. Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and University Of Chicago Press. Alvarado is known for her free-hanging abstract paintings. Her works operate as stage sets and artworks simultaneously, and engage with abstraction beyond the parameters of western art history.Kopel, Dana (2 May 2017)
"Vibrational Aesthetics: Lisa Alvarado"
Mousse Magazine. Alvarado's paintings accompany musical performances as mobile setting for the band

Natural Information Society Natural Information Society is a music ensemble described as “ecstatic minimalism”. The group formed in 2010 and is led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Joshua Abrams. NPR called the group a "staple" of the underground music scene in Chi ...

, for which she plays harmonium.

Early life and education

Alvarado was born in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, Texas to a

Mexican American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

family. She studied at

San Antonio College San Antonio College (SAC) is a public community college in San Antonio, Texas. It is part of the Alamo Colleges District and the oldest public two-year college in Texas. The college has an average semester enrollment of 22,028 credit students an ...

and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Alvarado joined the

in 2010.

Artistic practice

Alvarado's practice bridges visual art and sound to create works that explore the possibilities and nuances of abstraction. She began making her free-hanging works in 2010, as portable sets for the band

, an experimental ensemble of traditional and electronic instruments.The New Yorker (1 May 2017)
"Lisa Alvarado"
The New Yorker. Her two-sided works float between categories—they are at once paintings, screens and tapestries that create airy partitions, delineating pathways, evoking both theatrical and ceremonial uses.Bucciero, Joe (1 May 2017)
"Lisa Alvarado: Sound Talisman"
The Brooklyn Rail. Alvarado's hand-painted compositions consist of sequences that suggest foundational real-world materials: bricks, religious icons, single-celled organisms, the organic systems covering the natural information of life—things of which history and culture are formed. Alvarado's works recall a number of traditions, among them Mexican textiles and European and American Modernist painting, however they build on those sources to become something of their own. Hybridity and in-betweenness are central to Alvarado's practice. Her work calls attention to the idea of ''mestizaje'', which refers to the cultural and ethnic mixing in Mexican history, and is expanded to mean a mixing of ideas and materials as a way to resist or bridge cultural and conceptual divides.

Exhibitions and performances

Alvarado's work is included in the Whitney Biennial 2022: Quiet as It's Kept,

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...

, New York. She has also exhibited her work at the Bergen Kunsthall, Norway;

Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia The Institute of Contemporary Art or ICA is a contemporary art museum in Philadelphia. The museum is associated with the University of Pennsylvania, and is located on its campus. The Institute is one of the country's leading museums dedicated to e ...

; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; Bridget Donahue, New York; The Modern Institute, Glasgow;

KMAC Museum KMAC Museum is an American art museum that "connects people to Art and Creative Practice". The museum is a 501c3 organization located in the West Main District of downtown Louisville, Kentucky History The museum was founded in 1981 as the Ken ...

, Louisville. ' Selected performances include Palais de Tokyo, Paris; Pitchfork Music Festival, Chicago; Big Ears Music Festival, Knoxville;

Rewire Festival Rewire Festival is an annual international festival for adventurous music, held since 2011 in The Hague, Netherlands. The festival presents a broad program with a focus on contemporary electronic music, neo-classical, new jazz, experimental pop, so ...

, Netherlands;

; Japan Society, New York;

The Common Guild The Common Guild is a visual arts organisation in Glasgow, Scotland. It was established in 2006 and has commissioned two Turner Prize-nominated works: Duncan Campbell in 2014 and Janice Kerbel in 2015. The Common Guild is located in a Victoria ...

, Glasgow; Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Portugal. Alvarado is represented by

Bridget Donahue Bridget Donahue is an American gallerist and curator. Education Donahue's studies include a B.A. anthropology and M.A in textiles. Her work with textiles led her to the art of Rosemarie Trockel, and in turn led Ms. Donahue to a position at Barba ...

in New York.

Discography

with Joshua Abrams &

* ''Natural Information'' (

Eremite Records Eremite Records is an independent American jazz record label founded in 1995 by Michael Ehlers, with early involvement from music writer Byron Coley. Ehlers was a student of Archie Shepp's at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. After college, ...

MTE-61, 2014) * ''Representing'' (Eremite Records MTE-58, 2012; MTE-62, 2014) * ''Magnetoception'' (Eremite Records MTE-63/64, 2015) * ''Automaginary'' ( Drag City, 2015), Natural Information Society and

Bitchin Bajas Bitchin' Bajas is a band operated as a side-project by Cooper Crain, who is also guitarist/organist of the band Cave. The other members are Dan Quinlivan and Rob Frye. Their first album, ''Tones & Zones'', was released in 2010. They have recor ...

* ''Simultonality'' (Eremite Records MTE-68, 2017) * ''

Mandatory Reality ''Mandatory Reality'' is a 2019 album by guimbri player Joshua Abrams and the Natural Information Society. Background Featuring two long pieces totalling over an hour in duration, followed by two shorter works, the album was recorded on June 11, ...

'' (Eremite Records MTE-70/71 x2LP, 2019) * ''

descension (Out of Our Constrictions) ''Descension (Out of Our Constrictions)'' is a live album by Natural Information Society, featuring guimbri player Joshua Abrams, bass clarinetist Jason Stein, harmonium player Lisa Alvarado, drummer Mikel Patrick Avery, and special guest soprano ...

'' (Eremite Records MTE-74/75, x2LP, 2021), Natural Information Society with Evan Parker * ''

Since Time Is Gravity ''Since Time Is Gravity'' is an album by the Natural Information Society Community Ensemble, led by double bassist and guimbri player Joshua Abrams. It was recorded on May 18, 2021, at the Graham Foundation in Chicago, Illinois, and on August 24, ...

'' (Eremite Records MTE-78/79, x2LP, 2023), Natural Information Society with Ari Brown

References

External links

Lisa Alvarado

Bridget Donahue Gallery

Whitney Museum

Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarado, Lisa 1982 births Living people American women painters Artists from San Antonio School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni 21st-century American painters American artists of Mexican descent Harmonium players 21st-century American women artists