Photo by Tom MaioPhoto by Tom MaioA public program in association with J Rowen O’Dwyer: DEVOTIONS, to a dirty queer home — a Mills Gallery exhibition.
Experience this durational performance that intertwines art and kink, engaging with themes of both beauty and pain. Xray Aims (they/them) will perform alongside collaborators to spark a dialogue about gender and sexuality, forging connections between their bodies, each other, and the gallery space itself.
Note: Drop by at any point of the performance and stay as long as you desire. The performance includes some piercing elements that may be uncomfortable for some viewers. Please feel free to take care of yourself as needed.
Photo by Xray Aims
Photo by Tom Maio
Xray Aims, "The Wonders"
Xray Aims, "The Wonders"
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Xray Aims (they/them) is a multidisciplinary performance artist, a queer and disabled person, who works with collaborators in long durational pieces. These intersect art and kink in an effort to connect humans to one another, and beyond. Their work engages with beauty, pain, the built environment and the body. Movement, communication and the audience are key.
In 2020, as the pandemic took over, and collaborating with others became too fraught, Aims followed a dream and went to work on a solo installation called BasketArt Court. Using deconstructed bike tubes, they wove them into a long rope-like structure, from the backboards to the middle square knot, in the court near their home. This then evolved into a 2021 film that screened at several festivals.
But, 2023 got back to their performances and completed two in NYC at Le Petit Versailles, one at nighttime and one at daytime, both outside for the first time. And in November “The Wonders” created a life-sized textile weaving warp and weft.
As an artist their work has been performed/installed in solo and group shows in the U.S., Canada and Europe. They have been awarded the 2024-2025 Wedding Cake House Residencies, the Collective Futures Fund and the Mass Cultural Council: Cultural Sector Recovery Grant, along with Boston Center for the Arts: Studio Residency Program 2023-2026. Xray Aims (b. Boston, aka Aliza Shapiro / Truth Serum Productions) earned two Bachelor Degrees, in Fine Arts and Architecture, from Rhode Island School of Design.