Breaking the Barrier
by Asia Calcagno
Born Eleanor Herisamchuk, the skater-chic artist, Niz, has dominated the underground artist community as her own by creating original skateboard and stencil art. Her ideas and inspiration come from subcultures such as pop, graffiti, hip-hop, reggae, punk, and skater cultures. Extending from just the main branch of paint on canvas, you can find her work anywhere from the street, to clothes, to grip tape. Whispers roar about her art being heavily religious, as well as the famous celebrity faces living through her controversial masterpieces.
Influenced by her youth growing up in Lima, Peru, she learned how to appreciate culture at a very young age. Niz, along with her parents and younger brother, moved between Peru and the United states. She remembers traveling and art being a huge part of her childhood. By finding influence in all artists and people who put heart and soul into their passions, Niz rewards herself by transforming her experiences and the people that she meets into works of art.
While having an impact on breaking into a male-dominated field, she wishes to have a positive impact on people's everyday lives by living through her pieces. "Whether it's a beautiful thought or a feeling of awe or inspiration."
It is a massive issue now-a-days with society holding back women from being successful. Niz admits that she has not been hindered, but it took a little longer for people to warm up to her work. "You have to be that much better at [what you do] because people may scrutinize it more. Being a woman in a male dominated field can be the best and the worst thing."
Many may argue that Niz's art is represented as a form of activism since it is public and abstract. "I think that anything creative, when you put it out there and translate it in the public experience, it becomes a form of activism. Like, 'Here it is, this is what I think'. It is a way of exercising your voice." We have got to give Niz her street credit on being a female rebel, bending the rules a bit and taking matters into her own hands.
She gives this advice to young women who wish to follow the path that she has taken: "Have fun, and be persistent."
You can always check out Niz's work and purchase awesome items on her website. www.nizgraphics.com