XAQ IRIA

What is life? What is our role, our purpose, our destination? Do we even have one, should we have one? Artists are often at the forefront of what it is to be human, what it is to be alive, and just as importantly, what it is to be in transition, because often they are the ones that struggle with those elements of life that many decide to set aside, save for another day, look the other way. Art can very often save our souls, certainly save our sanity. We are creatures that have an abiding passion for self-expression. We need that outlet, that projection of our inner selves, our inner torments, our inner hopes, dreams and nightmares. To keep bottling it up, to keep denying a ground stage for those feelings, those understandings, all of which are often near physical in manifestation, is the way towards a spiralling of control, of perspective, of our place in the world and beyond. The artist Xaq Iria is a true artist. One who feels a real passion and a real desire to be within the creative sphere, to be someone from nowhere, to be something from nothing. As Xaq himself freely admits, he pulled himself out of the darkness by using creativity as a saviour in order to launch his life. Not yet 40, he has an extraordinarily impressive body of creative work that spans a whole plethora of mediums. He has produced paintings, sculpture, poetry, film, photography, music and more. It is a boon to see an artist that holds onto his creative core, allowing him to dive into mediums that others would fear. Xaq excels as a full artist, musician, producer, poet, director...the list goes on. We certainly need more powerhouse artists in this world of ours, a world that is held together in an increasingly fragile state. We needs artists that are not afraid to be creative, not afraid to strike out across disciplines, to be bold and to be persuasive. Artists need to set examples, show the world that human sanity and growth, human wellbeing and balance is about the art of expression. Artists are here to show that there is so much to be gained and nothing to be lost by expressing ourselves through creativity. We are who we are because we express ourselves, not because we don't. More examples like Xaq Iria please!