ALIZA NISENBAUM: AQUÍ SE PUEDE (HERE YOU CAN)
August 19, 2021–July 31, 2022
For the sixth annual Atrium Project, New York-based artist Aliza Nisenbaum (born Mexico City, 1977) created three large-scale portraits of individuals connected to Kansas City salsa music and dance communities. Nisenbaum is known for her bright paintings and unique approach to portraiture. Nisenbaum has exhibited her work across the world, working with locals in each city—from Immigrant Movement International members in Queens, NY to staff of the Liverpool Alder Hey Children’s Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout 2020 and 2021, Nisenbaum communicated with the Kansas City sitters via video from her studios in Los Angeles and New York. Their conversations resulted in portraits that embody the personality, interests, and energy of each individual and their relationship to salsa. This exhibition was organized by Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and curated by Erin Dziedzic, director of curatorial affairs.
The Atrium Project is an annual series of commissioned projects that presents the work of emerging and mid-career Hispanic and Latinx artists. Past projects have featured work by José Lerma (2016), Firelei Báez (2017), Paul Henry Ramirez (2018), Angel Otero (2019), and Joiri Minaya (2020).
Lead Sponsor
Bill and Christy Gautreaux
Sustaining Sponsor
Copaken Family Fund
In the News
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Kansas City's salsa community dances into the spotlight at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art – KCUR
“The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art’s atrium project features Kansas City's salsa community and is dedicated to commissioned works by Hispanic and Latinx artists.
On the dance floor and against the backdrop of the Latin American rhythms of the music, a salsa community has sprung up in Kansas City. And it’s the focus of the exhibition, "Aliza Nisenbaum: Aquí Se Puede (Here You Can)" at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art through July 31.”
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Editors’ Picks: 9 Events for Your Art Calendar, From a Talk About Chinatown’s Art and Activism to a Show of Surreal Cat Art – artnet news
Aliza Nisenbaum will speak in this virtual artist talk about her new large-scale portrait series of people in Kansas City’s salsa music and dance communities, the subject of her new show at the Kemper, “Aliza Nisenbaum: Aquí Se Puede (Here You Can),” on view August 19, 2021–July 31, 2022.
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‘Aliza Nisenbaum: Aquí Se Puede (Here You Can)’ at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art – KC Studio
“In August, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opened “Aliza Nisenbaum: Aquí Se Puede (Here You Can),” its sixth annual Atrium Project exhibition. The three commissioned works by New York-based artist Aliza Nisenbaum portray four individuals who are active in Kansas City’s salsa dance and music communities. The paintings emerge from the artist’s sustained attention to the individuals and speak to the vibrancy and energy of their communities.”
Watch the Artist Talk
