I thought it was time to reintroduce myself and my practice. Both my personal life and my art have been through a few revolutions since graduating with my BFA, and it is now in a place where I can put some language to it.
First of all, my name is Alexandra Ross. I am an artist, curator, and writer. Along with those labels I like to wear the labels of post-capitalist social entrepreneur and anarchist. I am a relatively gender conforming, solo-polyamourous woman, my pronouns are she/her, and I move through the world with neurological divergences. I was born American and am imminently close to becoming Canadian by choice. My religious roots are Christian and I am learning to heal “my witch wound” and re-member and inherit my European earth centered ancestral practices. I am making an attempt to integrate these two estranged roots.
I believe the label “relational aesthetics” best fits my current practice. I am interested in exploring the intangible thing that emerges within relational contexts, in particular between selfhood, interpersonal relationships and land. Other than my Letters from the Woods Patreon subscription service, I am not producing much tangible work at the moment.
Instead I am interested on what is emerging as I shift my life around. I am working to integrate my life into my art practice rather than having them be two separate spheres. While I love and value the “white cube” as a site of cultural expression and exploration, I am personally wanting to push my practice beyond the gallery. I recognize myself to be in a radical place personally and professionally and have learned I hold a capacity as well as a need to cultivate a life outside typical structures. Rather than fighting this instinct or attempting to integrate this, I decided to lean into it and cultivate it.
My current work is exploring a core idea: how we regulate the land regulates ourselves and our relationships. To explore and experiment with this thesis I have renovated a 200 square foot shed into an off grid cabin, and I have committed myself to living in it for five years with my cat. Currently I am in year two. I live with solar power and heat with wood. I have no running water and cook on the woodstove in winter and a BBQ in summer. Along with learning how to live off grid, I am also teaching myself to forage and grow my own food. This summer I will begin exploring the ancient building techniques my European ancestors used with locally gathered materials. These techniques include wattle and daub wall construction, thatched roofing, and post and beam timber framing.
Next year I hope to launch the second phase of my experimental practice with what I am calling “The Creative Uncommons.” My vision for the ½ acre of land I inhibit is to divest myself of “ownership” and find a way to “re-common” it as a site for other artists, makers, and creatives to share. To do this I will be putting out a call for a steering committee in the near future. So if anything about my practice or vision is something you would like to collaborate on, please stay tuned for ways to get involved!
Alexandra Ross Works 