"UNIQUE"
Lisa Buchanan (AKA Dangerosa) is a British contemporary artist, athlete, and mother. Born in Yorkshire, UK, her diverse mixed heritage and working-class roots shape her belief in the inclusivity of visual storytelling and the celebration of individuality. She says:
People always ask me the same questions:
"Where do you get your ideas from?" or "What inspires you?"
I’ve always found these questions odd, because they are seeking a solid point of reference and this is not how I create my work. Of course, there are things I see or hear that move me deeply—but I don’t make art based on those things directly. What I offer is something different.
I think art is a projection of the human mind, and the mind is completely free: that’s how I approach my work. Even when drawing something right in front of you—a portrait, an object—it’s still your unique view of it that comes out. My work is a projection of fantasy and reality. It is transcendental and surreal. It doesn’t always make sense—it just is, like the world around us. That’s why you’ll find weird juxtapositions in my work that provoke the questions I am always asked.
I refuse to be boxed in by belief systems, mythologies, religion, politics, trends or movements. I rebel against these systems because I want to keep my mind free, and stay connected with my untethered human spirit. That is what makes my work UNIQUE.
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Dangerosa's work depicts dreamlike visions, anti-slogans and escapism into surreality, driven by a punk DIY ethos that rebuffs the ordinary and the mundane. A self-taught painter as a child, she displayed an early talent for creating bold, subversive art. At the age of 18 she achieved an artist’s residency in a store-front studio, made the first in a long line of collaborations with the rock group Dolium and Sister 9 Records, and gained an apprenticeship as a tattoo artist.