Talia Nizarane

Black sculpture made with Japanese lacquer and leaves decorations

From the series Self-preservation.

Talia F. Nizarane (b. 1997, Havana, Cuba) is a transdisciplinary artist working in a variety of mediums including installation, text, performance, video, photography, and lacquer.

Her performative practice is informed by cultural and historical dilemmas in her native country, seeking to reach people in their everyday environments and confront them with social injustice that would be otherwise easily ignored. Her installations are motivated by an exploration of space, materiality, and the tridimensional possibilities of objects.

Nizarane has been granted fully funded stays at the University of Art of Zurich, Switzerland (2023 and 2020), the Kyoto City University of the Arts, Japan (2022), and the University of Art and Design Halle, Germany (2018). She has been selected artist in residency at ARE Holland, The Netherlands (2020), and awarded distinctions “El Reino de Este Mundo" (2020) and “Antonia Eiriz” (2018) by Asociación Hermanos Saiz, Cuba. She received the 3rd Prize in Post-it 6, Cuba (2019). Her work has been collected by Colección Bernardo Quetglas, Spain (2019). In the UK, she has been supported by The Eaton Fund, the Gane Trust, and the Royal College of Art (2022).

Solo and two-person shows include “The Road Not Taken” with Zhou Yiqiao at MINE, Osaka, Japan (2022), “Cleaning Service” at Schaufenster Dreiviertel, Bern, Switzerland (2021), “UNWINNABLE” at XPO, Enschede, The Netherlands (2020), and “Dificultades Iniciales” with Beatriz Fernandez at the 13th Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba (2019).

Relevant experience includes participation with the Royal College of Art in "Beyond Surface, Tactile Presence" at Tate Modern Lates, London, UK (2023), featured in Kunst Bulletin, Switzerland (2023), selected at “Here’s One I Made Earlier” by Off-Site Project and the Royal College of Art, London, UK (2022), and participation in festivals “Allée Rentrée Art Festival”, Enschede, The Netherlands (2020) and “ACT Performance Festival”, Zurich, Switzerland (2020).

Exhibition view "The Road Not Taken"

From the series "Self-preservation"

The artist during the making process.

"Self-preservation" series

The series "Self-preservation" was created in 2022 during a four-month stay in Japan, funded by the Royal College of Art and the Kyoto City University of the Arts. During this period, the artist had the opportunity to learn the basics of the lacquerware technique. Drawing from her background in installation art, she merged this traditional art with her knowledge to produce a unique body of work. The artist experimented with resin casts decorated with lacquer, resulting in captivating art pieces that showcase the rare fusion of these artistic disciplines.

Having discovered a shared affinity of interests with artist Zhou Yiqiao, they seek the support of Yamanaka Suplex Studio for a two-person show. The exhibition "The Road Not Taken" opened in Gallery Mine, Osaka, at the end of the artist' stay in Japan, showcasing the body of lacquer work.