Risa Puno
Risa Puno, The Privilege of Escape, 2019. Interactive installation. Dimensions variable. Photo by Talisman Brolin. Courtesy of the artist
“I package ideas in fun experiences because games are an established way to interact. They allow people to let down their boundaries and freely connect with each other."
Portrait of Risa Puno. Photo by Talisman Brolin
Risa Puno makes sculptures and installations that put a playful twist on familiar pastimes and amusements. She is interested in how interactivity and play can help us examine and understand our relationship to one another. Her seemingly frivolous works—a miniature golf course or an escape room, for example—operate as metaphors for serious and complex social interactions. Expressing her ideas through recognizable formats, Risa seeks to create an unexpected point of access that allows participants to tap into their own feelings of nostalgia, desire, competition, comfort, or even frustration.
Risa is the recipient of the Interactive Artist of the Year Award (2019) by FIGMENT, the Creative Time Open Call Award (2019), and the Art in the Parks: UNIQLO Park Expressions Grant (2017), among others.
Risa Puno, The Privilege of Escape, 2019. Interactive installation. Dimensions variable. Photo by Adam Reich. Courtesy of Creative Time
Risa Puno, The Course of Emotions, 2013-14. Interactive installation. Dimensions variable. Photo by Megan Martin
Risa Puno, Good Faith & Fair Dealing, 2012. Interactive installation. 39 x 119 x 54 in. Photo by Talisman Brolin. Courtesy of the artist
Risa Puno, Common Ground, 2017. Wood, glass tiles. 2.5 x 21 x 21 ft. Photo by Justin Hoch
Risa Puno, One From Many, 2018. Cast iron. 2.5 x 35 x 40 inches. Photo by Talisman Brolin
