Lisi Raskin (born 1974) is a New York-based artist known for creating large-scale, architectural environments that refer to the often clandestine fallout shelters and missile silos constructed during the Cold War. Raskin performs rigorous
field research in order to understand these architectures and the stories embedded within them. In an effort to articulate the nuance of alternate
narratives
A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). Narra ...
, Raskin often stages performances and displays discrete art objects ranging from drawings and paintings to sculpture within their installations.
Often Raskin employs the assistance of their male, German, alter-ego, ''Herr Doktor Wolfgang Hauptman'' to exorcise repressed cultural narratives that lurk in their choice of subject matter.
Early life and education
Raskin was born on April 16, 1974, in
Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, the eldest of four children. They grew up in a newly forming, suburban housing development, a location they have referred to as the site of their earliest adventures, play, and invention in the landscape. In 1996 Raskin received a BA from
Brandeis University
, mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = NECHE
, president = Ronald D. Liebowitz
, pro ...
. In 2003, they received an MFA from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in New York City. While at Columbia, Raskin studied with
Jon Kessler
Jon Kessler (born 1957, Yonkers) is an American artist. He began college at SUNY Purchase from 1974—78 but left after two years to travel in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. He returned to Purchase in 1978 and graduated in 1980 with honors ...
,
Kara Walker,
Coco Fusco,
Dana Hoey and anthropologist
Michael Taussig
Michael T. Taussig (born 3 April 1940 in Sydney) is an Australian anthropologist and professor at Columbia University. He is best known for his engagement with Karl Marx, Marx's idea of commodity fetishism, especially in terms of the work of Walt ...
.
Work
In 2013 Raskin traveled to
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
as part of
Creative Time
Creative Time is a New York-based nonprofit arts organization. It was founded in 1974 to support the creation of innovative, site-specific, socially engaged artworks in the public realm, particularly in vacant spaces of historical and architectura ...
Global Residency Program.
In 2005, Raskin was awarded the
Berlin Prize at the American Academy in Berlin. They were an artist in residence at
IASPIS IASPIS, ''The International Artists Studio Program in Stockholm'', is a cultural exchange program financed by the Swedish Government.
IASPIS facilitates a creative dialogue between visual artist
The visual arts are art forms such as paintin ...
in Stockholm for most of 2007 and in 2008, Raskin was an
artist in residence
Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...
at the
Center for Curatorial Studies and Art in Contemporary Culture
Founded in 1990, the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College (CCS Bard) is an exhibition and research center dedicated to the study of art and exhibition practices from the 1960s to the present. The Center initiated its graduate program in 1994 ...
at Bard College.
Raskin made their New York gallery debut in May 2007 at Guild & Greyshkul
after having exhibited in various galleries and institutions including Galleria Riccardo Crespi,
Socrates Sculpture Park, PS1/MoMa, Kuenstlerhaus Bethanien, and Artists Space.
Since then Raskin has had solo gallery shows at Milliken in Stockholm, Reception in Berlin and Churner and Churner in New York.
Raskin participated in the 2008 Art Show at the
Park Avenue Armory.
Their work at the Armory show was a military-like installation, referring to the Titan Missile program and Curtis LeMay.
Raskin's work was featured at the 11th International Istanbul Biennale, the 2nd Athens Biennale, and the 3rd Singapore Biennale.
In 2015, ''Motorpark'', Raskin's collaboration with
Kim Charles Kay was presented at
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft
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 ...
. ''Motorpark'' is a collaborative platform founded with Kay in 2012, initially involving the retrofit of a 1996 Blue-Bird school bus.
Teaching
Raskin is currently an Associate Professor and the Department Head in the Department of Sculpture at the
Rhode Island School of Design
The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...
, From 2013 to 2016, Raskin was an associate professor in the Department of Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture at
Tyler School of Art
The Tyler School of Art and Architecture is based at Temple University, a large, urban, public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tyler currently enrolls about 1,350 undergraduate students and about 200 graduate students in a wid ...
, Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Publications
*''Lisi Raskin, Thought Crimes'' (Berlin: Kuenstlerhaus Bethanien, GmbH, 2005). .
*''Lisi Raskin, Mobile Observation (Milan: Riccardo Crespi, 2009). .
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raskin, Lisi
Brandeis University alumni
Columbia University School of the Arts alumni
1974 births
Living people
Artists from Miami