Join NADA for a performance from Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society and a reading from Carlos Blackburn on the occasion of Sound Talisman, a solo exhibition by Lisa Alvarado at Bridget Donahue.

Sunday, April 23, 7:30pm
Bridget Donahue
99 Bowery

Sound Talisman comes out of Lisa Alvarado’s active role within the experimental band, Natural Information Society. When she joined the ensemble in 2010, Alvarado began making paintings that function as moveable sets. She refers to the series of paintings as “Traditional Objects”, a phrase that reveals her interest in the way ritual allows fine art to enter into the realm of performance and ceremony.

The paintings travel internationally with the band which is integral not only to the performance but to the works’ identity. The double-sided banners present a painting on one-side, made with homemade stencils and acrylic paint. Alvarado’s geometric motifs and use of vibrant colors are made knowing they will be on stage, under lights and at a distance from viewers. The bold, legible composition also takes inspiration from Mexican textile designs, a tradition too often omitted from art history, raided and deported.

For Alvarado and Natural Information Society, the paintings serve as mandalas, a visual focus point, that allows an audience to focus their gaze amidst waves of sound. She considers the music and paintings interdependent and the exhibition will include an ambient soundtrack during regular gallery hours as well as a schedule of performances.