Aïsha Lehmann: Formation

February 19 - March 19, 2022

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. These works examine this process through various narrative and several miniseries. Each focus on specific factors of identity formation such as the effects of historical and ongoing housing segregation, the mutability of mixed-race identity and its associated privileges and disadvantages, and the nuanced characteristics of race. Using mixed media and printmaking techniques, this body of work explores patterns, stories, practices, events, and human intervention which constitute race.

Aïsha is represented by Modern West Fine Art in Salt Lake City, UT. For more information visit Modern West Fine Art.