About the Artist
Lissa Karpeh is a Liberian-American artist whose work is informed by her first-generation immigrant identity and background in mental health work. Her most recent work addresses this through an exploration of “double consciousness.” First described by W. E. B. Du Bois, the internal conflict of those subordinated by an oppressive society (such as African Americans in the United States) and how they wrestle with the internal self and an oppressive, externalized perception is what Karpeh unpacks on her canvas. Images from her Liberian and Black American culture appear throughout her work to illustrate this ever-evolving dichotomy. 

About the Art
In This They Carry Pain: Transformation calls into question a thing, person, or place, and then allows it to take up space/ change to become something new. In this piece, the ‘transformation’ of narratives is centered by using narratives and personas from my culture to bring attention to a once forgotten country. The history of Liberia is profound, significant, and essential part of black history in America. I'm interested in using the power of art to transform these narratives, moving us from oppression to reformation.