Today we’d like to introduce you to Xxavier Edward Carter.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Xxavier. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In 2008 I began studying art at Stanford University after changing majors from Political Science. I concentrated on Printmaking before converting to new media towards the end of my time. My first professional experience was in South Korea following the artists’ Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries.
From there, I worked as a production designer and art director for an experimental movement band. I began interning at the Center for Sex and Culture in San Francisco as an archivist when I began to start making performance art as a supplement to my practice. I began teaching film editing to the Erotic Film school at that time as well and doing more community-centered work, organizing small exhibitions, and working in several institutions around the Bay Area.
In 2013 I went on a tour of several countries in Western Europe and North Africa exhibiting work and working with climate activists from the UK. I then returned to the US in 2014 and spent the next two years revitalizing the drawing portion of my practice as well as writing. In 2016, I was a fellow at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. In 2017, I was admitted to Southern Methodist University’s MFA program. In 2019 I graduated and moved to Vietnam. Over the year, I traveled to work in Mexico and France before returning to Texas after the loss of my partner. I currently reside in Dallas, Texas where I have a workspace in Far North Dallas.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Its been difficult the entire time. I’ve applied to countless exhibitions and applied to jobs all over the place and most things never panned out. The thing I have going for me is persistence, discipline, and the ability to adapt. It’s built into my practice really and the result has been a multifaceted practice with deep philosophical underpinnings on the issues of migration, labor, race, spirituality, ecology, and production.
We’d love to hear more about your art.
I make books, I make drawings, I make films, and I make recordings. Sometimes I paint, I also perform a lot and create installations specific for those performances. I sometimes curate exhibitions. I like connecting with artists and promoting artists. Sometimes I teach as well. I’ve got a very big skill set and I’m open to collaborating with artists. My practice is built on traveling and while I make physical works for sale, I am not attached to any gallery so all sales are made through my own platforms.
What were you like growing up?
I played sports as a kid and into college. It gave me a lot of discipline when I needed it. I like the outdoors. I spent a lot of time in Oklahoma and in the Caribbean as a kid with family. I’ve always had a lot of interest in art. I was really into puzzles and coloring books and writing. I wanted to be a marine biologist for a while.
Pricing:
- In Praise of Shadows Digital Book – $5 through Venmo @xxavier-carter
- Sisyphus and the Myth of the New World Exhibition Price List
Contact Info:
- Website: xxavierismyname.com
- Phone: 5104266349
- Email: xxavierismyname@gmail.com
- Instagram: @xxavierismyname
- Twitter: @xxavierismyname
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