Jarvey Ruiz wearing "Book Body No.4: Valentine" in the Selvedge show at The Nest in Providence, RI on October 26, 2024 - photo by Collin
Jenna Benzinger wearing "Book Body No.3: Sutures" in the Selvedge show at The Nest in Providence, RI on October 26, 2024 - photo by Collin
Lucid Clairvoyant wearing "Book Body No.2: IMITATE IMITATE IMITATE IMITATE BE" in the Selvedge show at The Nest in Providence, RI on October 26, 2024 - photo by Collin
Iris Wright (xe/xem/xyr) is a transdisciplinary artist.
Xe grew up in northern Illinois and trained as an artistic writer before pursuing a degree in Visual Art and Literary Arts at Brown University in Providence, RI where xe graduated with honors and was awarded the Ann Belsky Moranis Award for exceptional skill in visual art. Xyr poetry is featured in various publications, including Grain Magazine and Susquehanna Review, and has won numerous awards, including the Kim Ann Arstark Memorial Award and the Southwest Prairie Conference Critic’s Choice Award in Poetry judged by José Olivarez. Xyr sculptures and prints have been on display at various venues, including the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, the Warwick Center for the Arts, and the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center. Xyr artist's books and zines are housed in the special collections of the Rhode Island School of Design, the Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender Zine Library, and the Savannah College for Art and Design.
Iris was a Joslin Fellow in Brown University's Visual Art Department and now works there as a teaching assistant in book arts. Xe is a founding member of the artist collective abcpvd (Art Book Collective, Providence), where xe collaboratively organizes group art shows that prioritize interactive art. Xe has run workshops in public spaces throughout Rhode Island, including Cranston Public Library, Symposium Books, the John Hay Library, Public Shop and Gallery, and the RISD Museum.
Xe makes art that is worn, spoken, and touched to demonstrate communication’s futility, especially where it attempts to capture queer and othered being.
Book Body No.5: Tear Here on display at abcpvd's April 2024 exhibition Geese Goose
Rhyme with Body Unseen performed in August 2024 in Saugatuck, Michigan
