XAVIER BELLANTE

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Xavier Bellante is a visual artist based in Southern California, USA. Instead of using a visual reference, Xavier chooses to let his imagination and energy flow guide the composition. Using all sorts of mark-making tools from paint brushes to eyedroppers, Xavier manipulates every inch of the canvas to achieve unique visual effects. Each painting is elaborately layered and distinctly crafted. Currently, Xavier is experimenting with new pigments to create work that looks different depending on the light it is being viewed in. Xavier manipulates UV reactivity and phosphoresce to create paintings that demand attention in daylight, ultraviolet light, and total darkness. Six such paintings by Xavier are currently on view at SKT Gallery’s exhibition Art At The Theatre from 10th-16th September 2020. 

Xavier has been painting and drawing for over twenty years. He operates outside the mainstream art world: Xavier’s art has mostly been shown at college galleries or mental health related events. In the early 2000s, he studied art at San Diego State University and ceramics at Mount San Jacinto College. In 2013, Xavier graduated with a BA in Visual and Public Art from California State University Monterey Bay where he studied under Johanna Poethig and Lila Staples. Diagnosed with bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorder, Xavier spent years living in distress and instability before finally recovering in 2009. He describes his diverse body of work as mirroring the psychological rollercoaster of his life. 

Xavier is exhibiting six mixed-media paintings with SKT: Peace at Last, .0001 Nanoseconds After, Magic Hour, A Tiny Bloop on the Radar, Mother Cosmos, and A Starry Night on Open Water. Adding on paint and then scraping away, Xavier creates layered work that rewards close inspection. His works are confessional and personal. But they also demonstrate Xavier’s interest in phenomenology, fluid dynamics and particle physics. Startling and astounding, each painting can be viewed differently in three different light settings. The transformations are beautiful and unsettling, as colours, depth, line and luminosity change before our eyes. 

Want to find out more about Xavier Bellante? Visit his Instagram profile @serratedbanana or Facebook for more information. 

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By Beatriz Santos

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