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Alisa Banks- Hair, Cotton, Silk, Wood and Altered Books

11/12/2018

 
Merryn Alaka


        Alisa Banks is a full time visual artist whose work confronts memory, tradition, and notions of home, place and self. Growing up as a black woman in the 60’s and 70’s, Banks work often incorporates fibers materials and found objects that reflect on personal experiences, and cross-cultural tones of intolerance during that time period. Banks received her BS from Oklahoma State University and later her MFA from Texas Woman’s University. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is in several private and public collections. Currently Banks resides in Dallas, Texas. 
       Cotton, doilies, wood, silk and synthetic hair are all materials Alisa Banks interlaces within and throughout books, transforming them into meticulously crafted, intimate sculptural objects. Underlying themes of identity and cultural memories are commonly explored through Banks’ repurposed books. In a series of work titled “Edges”, the artist elaborately crochets synthetic hair to the edges of each page of the book. Presented open faced the transformed book resembles a half circle, embodying a gravity defying, frizz prone, African hairstyle. The series of four books presents four different hairstyles of traditional African braiding techniques. The hair fibers create textures against the pages while simultaneously embellishing the edges of the pages symbolizing “ the marginal, the end, the between, and duality.” Banks states, “the hair treatment symbolizes how much activity, creativity, and life happens at the ‘edges’ of mainstream society, regardless of whether or not it is recognized…” Growing up during a time period of racial integration, Banks edge series captures the tones of intolerance faced during the 60’s and 70’s and even today when regarding immigration status. 
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       ​Continuing on her research about the manner in which black hair has been politicized throughout history, Banks creates an altered book entitled “Bad Hair”. She uses an old Texas Law book but alters the interior creating a flag book. Conceptually, the flags mimic locs or braids and their unruly aesthetic as perceived by white dominated workplaces. For many women in the 60’s and 70’s natural African hairstyles were unacceptable for work environments and even regarded as unprofessional. The text within the book was taken from news articles found from research on early struggles black women’s hair. 
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​         Banks southern Louisiana upbringing influences many of her decisions to use certain materials. One of her sculptural books- “Our Lady of the Lawn”- takes on the form of a homemade shrine and garden that were typical in homes throughout southern Louisiana where Madonna statues adorned many lawns. Banks uses crocheted lace, beaded rosary and medallions throughout the shrine to reference the histories of the shrines and the objects found along them. Inside the shrine is a fragment of a story written by the artist. 
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       Similar in style is Banks’s book entitled “Armoire”. Here she crafts a small scale Armoire closet using a wooden box containing intimate items like photographs, fragments of texts, and partial clothing materials. Reflecting on her childhood memories Banks recalls the exhilarating feeling of exploring her grandmother’s armoire and learning the stories of the personal objects found inside. Closets in most cases are intimate spaces, commonly off limits, but full of memories while revealing something about its owner. To Banks, the armoire “remains a repository of memory, culture, history, and tradition.”
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Bibliography

“A Bee Press- Alisa Banks.” Primrose Press, www.vampandtramp.com/finepress/b/A-Bee-Press.html.

“VCU News.” 
VCU Forensic Toxicologist's Work in Helping Solve Bizarre Death to Be Featured on National Forensics Television Show, news.vcu.edu/article/More_than_words.

“About Alisa Banks.” 
Alisa Banks, www.alisabanks.com/about-the-artist/.

"Alisa Banks- The Edge Series." 
Abecedarian Gallery, abecedariangallery.com/store/reviews/2012/12/14/alisa-banks-the-edge-series/.

ManagedArtwork.com. “Alisa Banks.” 
Http://Www.seagergray.com/ - Richard Shaw - Artists Detail, www.seagergray.com/Artist-Info.cfm?ArtistsID=521.
Lisa Zirbel
11/12/2018 09:45:50 pm

I love the fact that this artist uses "women's craft" like lace, doilies, and dolls in her book sculptures. An interesting historical tie-in is the trend in the 18th and 19th century to have separate volumes for men and women. For example, I have a late 19th book in which a female author rewrites Charles Dickens novels for the female audience. Similar perhaps to black hair styles, there is a stereotype that these audiences lesser and unacceptable.

Kenna Connelly
11/15/2018 12:55:37 pm

First off, I am amazed that you found an artist with such a specific set of works (the intersection of bookmaking and hair- much like what you are working with now) and am profoundly moved by the ways in which she used the symbolism of African hair and the concept of intolerance during the 60's and 70's within her works. As both a viewer and an artist, seeing such honest pieces of art really inspires me to strive for a strong sense of transparency and symbolism within my own work. I am incredibly moved! Thank you for teaching me something new, and sharing something so interesting!

Samantha Vo
11/15/2018 01:01:07 pm

Merryn,

Thank you for sharing the work of Alisa Banks! I was unfamiliar with her before your post and am excited to explore more of her work. The way she materializes her experiences of growing up as a black woman is very special in the way that her choice of materials have often been used against her. There is something so beautiful about her reclaiming traditional black hair styles and creating art from it.

William Mark Sommer
11/15/2018 06:21:37 pm

This work is incredible, I was unfamiliar with her work as well, and love what she has been able to make and say with her art.The book with the hair sewn in caught my eye going though the post and I felt instantly sparked to want to know more, and as I'm writing this I have a new tab open ready to read more about her work. Thank you for presenting this amazing artist!

Edgar Fernandez
11/15/2018 08:26:54 pm

Merryn,

First, I would like to say what a professionally written and presented research project. Very striking body of art work from subject matter, medium choice and meaning. I always enjoy reading about different artists of color express their identity in such unique and contemporary
ways. As I was reading this and looking at her artwork I can see the connect and interest you have with this artist. It is fascinating to see great artist like your self get their influences from. I can see you having a possible collaboration with Alisa Banks with strong potentials of making an empowering exhibition that will bring awareness to many communities about African woman's hair.

Sam Fresquez
11/15/2018 09:51:36 pm

Merryn,
I'm very interested in Alisa Banks' use of both hair and doilies. She has an amazing ability to use very relatable objects in very personal ways. I was very drawn to "Edges" and I'm curious as to how she knotted or braided the hair onto the edges.


Comments are closed.

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