INTERVIEW WITH LEXI LAND

By Benjamen Judd

Last month I had the absolute pleasure of attending the opening night for Sydney artist Lexi Land, Pieces of Me, at the Leonard Mattis Studio in Surry Hills.

The slick, minimal interior was a fantastic backdrop for the sensuous collection of mixed media works combining photography, drawing and poetry. In the collection, Lexi uses her own body as the prop upon which she creates erotic aliens, dark goddesses and demonesses.

I recently got to speak to Lexi about the exhibition, her art and got to learn the processes behind what makes her tick.

BJ: So, thanks for talking to me. Obvious questions first – who and what influences your art?

LL: My main influence is my emotion; I am driven by a constant urge to document what’s going on inside me, to keep an honest record of my experience. People are also a major influence, expression; figure, observing nature and psychology. Old medical books, photography books, old journals. I’m inspired by artists such as Dali, Joel-Peter Witkin, Frida Kahlo, Hans Bellmer, Picasso, Francis Bacon, Egon Schiele and Arnulf Rainer. Usually it’s the persona of the artist I find more influential then their art.

BJ: The collection of work at Pieces of Me was incredibly personal and revealing – how did it feel to be in a room of people basically looking at your soul laid bare?

LL: I spent so long in solitude preparing the work, it was such an intimate and private experience, one and one with my own image, for days on end… to then capture each image by framing them and hang them on a wall for all to see is liberating… sharing them with others… it sets the work free!

BJ: What’s next?

LL: More film and performance work. I will be taking a research trip to Japan over Christmas, working on my next series (figures and portrait) and hopefully showing ‘Pieces Of Me’ in Tokyo. I will also be starting a new 365 project for 2013, writing a poem and performing it on film each day.

For more information on Lexi, read her poetry and see some more of her amazing work, head to her blogspot.