ORANGE FRIEND

Having grown up in Las Vegas, Los Angeles-based artist Tiza Maldonado has neon in her blood, a notewor- thy metaphor when talking about symbols of personal power, often the subject of her work. Taking inspiration from plants and flowers to punk rock and graffiti, Maldonado imbues her work with anarchy, pushing neon beyond the limits of itself with free form lines and radical installations. Many times neon plays the role of another brushstroke in painterly wall compositions, or takes the place of bones and blood in sculptural work. Maldonado even honors Las Vegas with homages to showgirls candidly backstage, but effortlessly moves beyond this trope and any trace of the road-side sign with neon presented as drying bouquets, cherished childhood dolls, and the carrion of dead birds. Her willingness to boldly experiment and innovate outside traditional applications for neon illustrates a passion for the craft, as well as an innate understanding of transforming emotions into sculpture.