Aliza Nisenbaum believes that “pay[ing] attention to someone can be a political act” as well as an ethical responsibility, and painting portraits is “putting into practice how responsive one can be to another person in real time.” She considers her labor-intensive portraits, always done from life, to be collaborative and focuses on individuals and groups who have been underrepresented and underrecognized. 

Here Nisenbaum depicts the Queens Museum’s community organizer, Gianina Enriquez, who managed the food distribution program at the museum that started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Behind her, handprints cut from colored paper bear messages of gratitude (perhaps from program participants), reminders to wash our hands and care for our planet, and calls for peace in Spanish and English. These details provide a glimpse into the communities Enriquez works with, functioning as a group portrait. 

Aliza Nisenbaum (born 1977), Gianina “Gia.” Oil on canvas, 2022. 73 × 63 in. (185.4 × 160 cm). Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 2024.8. On view in Gallery 10.