The artist Rachel Ishikawa sits in the grass outside against a clear blue sky. Her hair is a in a low braid over her shoulder, bangs falling in her face as she turns to look at the camera. She is wearing dark t-shirt dress with a floral design.

Rachel Ishikawa

Participant
2017, 2020, 2021
Work Included in Care Package
Identity traits
Mixed Race
Japanese
Jewish

 

Rachel Ishikawa is a radiomaker and produces music under the moniker Shakai Mondai, which translates to "social problem." She's often thinking of society's problems and how we can organize to overthrow the ruling class. For years she made music mostly using computers and synths, but recently has turned towards guitar. When she's not working with sounds, she's biking, cooking, and scheming with her buds.

https://rachelishikawa.com

Projects
Chinatown Beats logo

Chinatown Beats, 2016-2017

Our stories reverberate through sound. Our voices, our songs, even the sounds outside our windows help define who we are. As part of her Social Practice Lab residency, Rachel Ishikawa used created Chinatown Beats to explore the ways we define place and self through sound in the Chinatown North community, and to transform everyday sounds into narratives that map out our own sonic culture.

The audio portraits created with YAW were featured in The Beat of Resistance.

Related
Picture from outdoors of a capsule exhibition of queer and trans empowered artwork
Exhibition
to

Unity at the Initiative

Between two yellow walls there is a living room setup consisting of a white coffee table situated on a dark grey rug and surrounded by red beanbag chairs and white plastic chairs. In the corner is a small TV on top of a wooden end table. In the background there are six guitars mounted on the white wall. The yellow walls have steel sheets mounted on them. On the steel sheets are colorful foam alphabet magnets. - The Beat of Resistance exhibition
Exhibition
to

The Beat of Resistance

Grow Food, Meei Ling Ng, Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission

Social Practice Lab (2012-2018)