Lisa Alisa's paintings, full of naked versions of herself, bloodied and violent, are a metaphor for both the brutality of life and the desire for change within Lisa herself. There's a thick vein of dark, surreal humour running through the images, for example a snake-tongued Lisa licking the neck of a severed head (I'm not alone in finding that funny, right?). Witty, scary and cool as fuck, Lisa Alisa could be this generation's Frida Kahlo.



Selfportrait Blue Skies - Scion Tour


What's your background? Where were you brought up and what was your education like?
I was taught European style. That means you get slapped around a lot with criticism, and I was always given low grades for my drawing. It's a blessing and a curse, but I definitely like this goal orientated system more than the American way of "raising the student's self esteem". The tough school of self-criticism teaches you to push towards results. Who cares how you feel if the job is done. And also, learning to be goal orientated is much better anyway, because then you can work regardless of your inspiration or feelings. Feelings are overrated. I think personal history is unimportant, so are the details of how we got to where we are.


What artists have influenced you, and who do you rate right now?


A lot of classical and contemporary Japanese artists, Japanese traditional arts and crafts. I like a little something in different artist's work, some work good with color, others with light and composition, well of course Hayao Miyazaki is god, and Gary Larson too. Recently I saw Takehiro Karube's work and really liked it.


How would you describe your style?
It may look like "psycho babe gets her field day"?, but I guess it falls into the category of Pop art. What do you think? Three words or less, please. 





Pornostar


There's a lot of humor in what you do. Do you think people get it? How important is it that people get your paintings, or are you happy for them to be accepted on a purely visual, aesthetic level?
Hopefully the humor side is pretty obvious in many cases. It's not extremly important, but would be nice to hear some giggles. I definitely appreciate a good laugh more than good sex.


There seems to be more than a hint of violence in your paintings. Are the paintings an outlet for some inner violent feelings?


Life is violence, if you want my opinion. Humans are predators, or at least they wish to be predators, we come across more like scavengers. It's also about female empowerment. If I got a penny for every time some guy on the street told me about how nice my ass is, but how my tits don't cut it to some movie standard he has in his undeveloped head. What it is, women are as violent as men. Some feminists think that violence is not for women. Also a lot of peace lovers abhorr violence. I think like everything else, it's how you do it. In my art, violence is a metaphor for self-change. In changing oneself, hatred is stronger than love. That's what all the fat flabby girls need in order to start changing - they don't need to be told that they are beautiful, like some "feminists" try to yell on every corner.


As well as the violence, there seems to be a dark undercurrent of sexuality in your work. Please explain...


You see sex in advertising every day. My girls are just taking it back for themselves. I think the best way to beat this ugly loser consumer system they have around us is to have good sex. If you are sexually happy, advertising doesn't work on you. Naturally, that's the first step only. If you are referring to the certain amount of blood in my works, well, blood is one of the components of you circulatory system, I don't see any reason to call it dark. Besides, I like the color.




Milk


Flowers seem to provide an inspiration for you, too. What is it about them that you love?
Flowers are perfect in form and color. No-one can get closer to creating anything as perfect and yet simple.

Okay, now what about the guns? You seem to have a lot of fixations!


I think it's the viewer that has fixations. The gun is a metaphor: (1) for our technology-based civilisation. We have to know technology to use it. (2) for the violent anger needed to say no to what consumerism pushes down our throat. My girls are ready to fight and kick ass. As you get more freedom, you lose the need for anger and violence, but you definetely need it at the beginning.

However, the mix of sex and violence can seem like a provocation - who are you trying to provoke, why and do you think it'll make a difference?


Where did you see sex? In fact, only one painting made it to the "erotic show" I submitted to, and it's heavy petting more than hardcore. Nudity represents innocence and purity. I'd like to think of my work as a refreshment for minds fogged with commercial TV porn. Everything on television is porn, and of the worst kind: manipulative. Well, except for the Animal Planet. Local news or celebrity watch is more porn than anything I do.

Robert Mapplethorpe springs to mind as someone who mixed sexuality, violence and flowers, albeit in Photographic form. Do you rate his work?
Judging from his self-portrait with a bullwhip inserted in his anus he's not the type who'd have pansies growing on the balcony, as yours truly, but hey, you never know. To tell the truth I don't see the mix of sexuality, violence and flowers: he did a lot of figure work, some with a hint of BDSM and images of flowers. Not that I see any sexuality in flowers, it just happened that some of them look like human genitals. Georgia O'Keeffe always got angry about the question of her flowers being like vulvas, I wouldn't be so sure about Robert Mapplethorpe's reaction though. I love his flowers and can appreciate his input into promoting the gay community at that time, but I'd say he was taking himself and his sexual orientation too seriously, and sex is only one of the bodily functions.




Black Sea, White Pine


You refer to "your girls" as if they are separate from you, but you're on the same team. Do you think the painted version of you is that distinct from you?


Us, the Queen of England... They're more like my soul than me. The soul and the Ego are quite different things, I think. The Ego is a foreign installation.

Am I imagining stuff or do you make yourself more asian in the paintings? What's behind that?
I have some Asian blood in me. I do look somewhat Asian and get taken for a mutt with some Asian background quite a bit. So yes, you're imagining :)

Does painting provide an income for you?
More like a means of poverty at this stage.

You seem to give bullfighting a hard time on your site; what first made you notice the cruelty of this Spanish tradition?
Erm, seeing it on TV That's a weird question by the way don't you think bulls are given a really hard time in Spain? Don't get me wrong, I accept the fact that we are predators and it's natural for us to enjoy violence. But the fact of the matter is, the bull never stands a chance. He's drugged, full of water, and half-blind. If the bullfighters didn't cheat, the bull would win 90 percent of the time, if not more. There is no honor in bullfighting the way it is. Hey, if I ever go to see a bullfight, be sure I'll have at least a couple dozens of rotten eggs for brave matadors. Oh, and don't take horse rides in Central park NYC, the horses are being mistreated there.

Besides painting, what are your hobbies and pastimes?


Contemporary dance, horseback riding and all the cute and fluffy animals.

I don't want to get hung up on the physical, but does the contemporary dance help explain your incredible physique?
Yes, that's what you'd have from two hours of dance routine everyday. Plus self-hatred, as a first step on the way to change yourself. I was blabbering about that earlier.


Do you listen to music while you're painting?
Oh, it's more like do I paint when I listen to music. Music is very important to me and my work. High on energy, low on social message, 80s rock/pop/metal will do it. That, and opera.




Silver Phoenix


What are your plans for the future?
To have a private show in Japan, create a t-shirt and toy brand, a design factory, build a dog and horse shelter, become a space tourist, a hundred other things.

Bush or Kerry?
How about the black flag of self-reliance flying high above this earth? I would say anyone but George W. But both Democrats and Republicans in the USA are just slaves to corporate interests, and every president always raises the defence budget, no matter what. Bush does hold a record for this, I believe. I'd pick anyone over Bush. Though in my opinion, I'm better off painting another piece or walking a dog than taking politics to heart. It's important to vote, it's just that self-change is even more important. Do what you can, change what you can, start with yourself.

How do you think people react to your paintings?
Let's see what they say in emails: ...wicked stuff. Fun, sexy, shocking, you've got it all... veeeerry nice site... was getting a bit turned on. Lisa, you're god!!!!!! I love your fucking amazing paintings. You made me cry, laugh and desire... Awesome show on Thursday at Niagara! Your paintings are fucking amazing... your art is very interesting: confident, strong, creative, sexy... Your work kicks ass... your paintings are so fresh and rad! I'm digging your styles... sick stuff... fresh and so clean clean... Outrageous!...  Somehow "fucking amazing" is used the most often.


Interviews Editor & Interviewer: Jason Arber
This interview is used with kind permission from © Pixelsurgeon.