"Race is fundamentally a social construct. Despite its manmade origins, the concept manifests itself in very real ways. On one hand, race determines how a person is treated and what opportunities are available to them in society, often resulting in inequitable outcomes for people of color. On the other hand, race contributes to a person’s heritage, family, and culture—the more sentimental and lovely components of being human. These rivaling manifestations contribute to an individual’s identity formation, or in other words, the complex process which culminates into who and what a person is." - Aïsha Lehmann
Modern West is excited to continue our collaboration with Southern Utah Museum of Art by partnering to exhibit Aïsha Lehmann's works in a solo exhibition at the museum in Cedar City. Formation will be on view February 19 - March 19, 2022 at Southern Utah Museum of Art, and will showcase Lehmann's newest series, Identity Formation, along with works from her past No Mixing series.
Aïsha Lehmann is an artist who uses culture and storytelling to inspire her pieces. She works her storytelling by exploring the complexities of identity in race, ethnicity, gender, and spirituality. Lehmann creates landscapes, portraits and more that all explore individual human identities. She creates imagery that has the potential to teach about the nuances of identity in ways words cannot.
As she researches, she examines academic studies, her own gathered material on others’ experiences, and written narratives. She interprets her observations into imagery using paper, patterns, drawing, and printmaking techniques.