Xenobia Bailey
Internationally recognized artist Xenobia Bailey (b. 1955, Seattle, WA, USA) produces artworks and installations inspired by urban material culture and what she has termed “Funktional Design”—an aesthetic that evolves from the creativity and resourcefulness of rural and urban African-American homemakers both historically and today. The aesthetic is inspirational: a physics of the frequency and vibration of colors, patterns, textures, forms, and volumes.
A student of ethnomusicology and industrial design, Bailey is well known for her crocheted sculptural headwear, wall hangings, and tents that articulate the utilitarian material worlds of funk music. Using fiber and found items as her primary materials, Bailey produces a range of pieces that frequently riff on traditional home decor with inventive twists of color and texture, making for an animated lifestyle.
Bailey has arranged her studio at MAD (titled Time + Space = Place) to provide an altered space for transport, co-creation, and evolution. Visitors are invited to meditate on her crocheted mandala-like wall pieces, composed of concentric circles that appear to pulsate or vibrate, and to work alongside the artist in a number of experimental workshops.
