Silenco (C) 2008 - X

Fate has a way of bringing people together, and my accidental discovery of Xcathedra, an artist of all mediums has crossed my path.  She is natural talent, a pure artist, showing the depth of her heart, internal suffering, and bears it all.  I looked at her work and everything she touches turns into beautiful agony. I thought to myself, “This is what art looks like when it grows in the wild.”  She shared with me, “I discovered my creative ability in the womb, when I was furiously devising a plan which would allow me to stay there!”   

Could Xcathedra be as formidable as she portrays herself to be?  I started by asking her about her name, Xcathedra and she replied,” ‘The Autist Formerly Known As X’ is a name I use only on MySpace. It is an obvious play on “The Artist Formerly Known As Prince”. I have a few very mild symptoms of Autism, hence “The Autist”. As an artist, I go by the name “Xcathedra”. ‘X’ is a shortened version of Xcathedra [which is itself a play on the Latin word ‘Excathedra’].”

Xcathedra further remarked, “I like the fact that ‘X’ is not gender specific, and holds no importance. I also like the significance of this letter, which is often used in the signing of documents by those who cannot read, write or understand English. There are many things that I do not understand about life, and the moniker just somehow seems fitting. Personally, I don’t care if anyone remembers me, or the name by which I am called.  It is the images I have created that I want people to take notice of, be affected by, and burn into their memory.”  The obvious significance of identity or lack of it seemed intriguing, for the obvious for this artist is to be remembered for her creation.

The obvious question of inspiration followed, and Xcathedra gave a list, “Passion, sorrow, the wind blowing through bare trees, dead birds by the side of the road, snowy winter evenings, desolate places, the last leaf on a branch, films with emotional depth, songs written in a minor key…”  An eccentric listing that to others would make little sense without looking at her work. Yet I felt there was something deeper than the string of words she gave me.

I hit depth when I asked her about her vision, and her heart tumbled out of her chest, “I want to make the stones cry. I have often felt that the world is filled with emotionally dead people. Not all of this is their fault. A lot of it is social [un]conditioning and also, there are so many pressing issues of daily life which sap us of our creative thoughts and spirit and this is why many people become almost zombie-like in their reactions to emotional subjects and appear to not respond well to them. My purpose as an artist is to make them feel something…anything….as long as it provokes an emotional response. They don’t even have to understand the message in my work or understand why a particular work affects them. As long as it makes them feel something, even if for a brief moment, my mission as an artist has been completed.”

The subtle and direct question of what does art mean to you followed and Xcathedra replied, “Art is a way to express my emotions, which tend to run rather strange and deep. It is a way to escape from the banal existence of reality into another realm where anything is possible. I have always felt rather like an alien, as if I were somehow supposed to be somewhere else, but was misplaced here either by accident, or for great purpose. I still haven’t figured that one out completely yet. Art makes the journey more tolerable.” 

Xcathedra, a growing wonder of incredible talent, left me with these words to ponder upon, relating to art, life, and all that is creative: “The muse that drives me is that which I dislike, fear and am in amazement of the most. Life itself. I suffer from Clinical Depression and Anxiety and these things which hinder the functionality of my daily life are the very same things that inspire and fuel my creativity and art. I draw emotion from my milieu, from past and present experience, relationships, pain, sorrow and the general sadness of life, as well as from my personal fears regarding the future. I take these things with me into the studio. I ply them. I break them down into smaller fragments. I rearrange their syllables into something I no longer can pronounce. And in this process, I fashion them into something that resembles b - e - a - u - t - i - f - u - l.”

All this, despite the obstacles this artist has created from the very act of being.

www.Anthroid.Net - “The Art of Xcathedra”
www.EpiphanyStrange.Com - “Fashion for Darker Sensibilites”

Filed under: Art & Design