“Transfiguration”
Part of the LAX Art Program
Tom Bradley International Terminal Arrivals area
(After customs make a quick right and the installation is on the left)
Los Angeles International Airport
On view through February 2017
In “Transfiguration,” Erika Lizée’s installations at LAX, travellers arriving from distant places have the opportunity to consider their passage from one experiential state to another. Enclosed between glass walls in the corridor of the Tom Bradley International Terminal Arrivals area, Lizée’s sculptural paintings imagine the wall surface as a threshold with a hidden and undefined world existing within it.
Using illusionistic painting, mysterious and abstract elements appear beneath the wall’s surface, while others emerge from this space into the physical realm of the viewer. Trompe l’oeil and three-dimensional paintings work in conjunction with actual light and shadow to spark a sense of wonder in the viewer.
“With an ever-shifting and nebulous boundary between what is unknown and known, our limited understanding of life is constantly in flux,” says Lizée. “My work questions our relationship to both the visible and invisible realms.”
Accessible to only those with a boarding pass, “Transfiguration” seeks to give the traveler a transformative experience by shifting perception to a greater understanding of the relationship between artistic materials and exhibition space. The installation serves as a metaphor for the journey of our personal and shared life experiences.
“Transfiguration” is the most recent installation of the LAX Art Program. Brainchild of Los Angeles World Airports, in partnership with the L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs, the LAX Art Program presents diverse and memorable art experiences to enhance and humanize the travel experience. Featuring local and regional artists through temporary exhibitions, permanent art installations, and cultural performances, the Art Program provides access to an array of contemporary artworks that reflect and celebrate the region’s creative caliber.
About Erika Lizée
Erika Lizée is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Los Angeles. Leading an active life in the arts, Lizée is Department chair and Associate Professor of Art at Moorpark College where she teaches Painting, Drawing, Two-Dimensional Design, and Gallery Practices. She is also the director of the Moorpark College art Gallery. Lizée earned her BFA in Painting from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and her MFA in Painting from California State University, Northridge. Lizée exhibits throughout the United States and abroad.
