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Meet Art by XRDH, an artist and activist who uses her work to raise awareness for the mental health community.
SoLo Craft Fair sits down with founder of the brand, Xilesia to discuss how her own journey influenced the direction of her work, the charities she now works alongside and the important changes she hopes the creative industry will adopt.
“I’m Xilesia Dwyer Henry. I’m a multi-disciplinary artist with a current focus on digital and 2D art. I create artwork based on pertinent social issues that I myself have experienced or through the stories of people who I know have encountered. My own journey, however, has not been without difficulties.”
“I have lived a life full of contrast and extremes, from rich to poor, good health to poor health, mentally well to mentally unwell.”
“I have experienced many challenges but each has helped me to understand the difficulties that many people can, and do, live with. I am grateful and fortunate to have survived many of these complex experiences. Indeed, I’ve become increasingly appreciative for the good and bad within my life, and have become far more self-aware of the lessons that can be learned from the experiences I’ve come up against.”
“I studied a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins having previously studied Art, Design and Sociology.”
“The work I create illustrates the concept surrounding injustices and groups that are treated unequally.”
“This has been a journey that I began to explore from 2014 after a tragic death of someone I knew as a result of mental illness. That moment led to a self-discovery of how I chose to practice art, and the important crossover into advocating different topics.”
“It became important for me to focus on the voices that were stigmatized, and I began using my artwork to draw attention to these.”
“I would refer to my art works conceptually as advertisements. I began trying to work alongside charitable organisations. Although this required a lot of work, it remained hugely important and a goal that I was determined to achieve in my artistic and conceptual journey.”
“While addressing stories of those who were experiencing stigma due to mental illness, I began to explore my own emotions. Moreover, those close to me began sharing their experiences which in turn supported and strengthened my work. I discovered more about mental health through the stories of those I knew, but also the world I live in and the enormity of the change that was needed.”
“I knew I couldn't be the solution to the problem but I was aware that the amplification of other people’s voices could draw attention to the issue and pave the way for how change could be created.”
“After graduating and further introspection I began creating a newer series of works. I gained confidence in drawing on my own experiences with mental health and specifically focusing on chronic illness and the female body.”
“In using my art as a form of communication I have been fortunate to realize a major dream in being able to use my own experiences and those close to me to raise awareness of an important subject matter and to support charities too. I hope that by doing this I will be able to support those who have had similar experiences but don’t know who to turn to, and also to empower my own and other people’s voices too.”
“Going forward I hope to invest money so that I can continue my work on a wider scale, while supporting charities that support our community. I donate a portion of the income I earn from selling my artwork to these charities and so, while funding limitations create barriers to who receives the help and how much help is available, charities can continue to have a backbone to support others like me. I have worked with both MIND and BEAT and have future plans to collaborate with RASASC as well as many more charities.”
“I am currently liaising with companies such as Boots, John Lewis, and several others where my work will be sold through shops in addition to fairs. This will accelerate how many people and charities I can help and create an income for myself.”
“During my time at university there was an unwritten but very apparent narrative that required aspiring artists to pigeon-hole themselves within a predetermined category in order to succeed. We were told to forget our own identity or belief systems and instead that if we wanted it bad enough we would need to conform to succeed. I think the establishment needs to be changed! Rip up the old rulebook and allow more freedoms within the art world to create more spaces in high end establishments for marginalized artists to create and gain recognition. We need to address and rectify the huge exploitation of those working in the creative industry to ensure they get paid an honest wage. It would also be welcome, inspirational and hugely important to the field of historical art to study artists from various backgrounds, particularly those who aren't from well-connected, aristocratic and well-off families.”
“I encourage aspiring artists to follow companies on social media who align with your values, or sign up to their newsletter via email or post if you don't have social media. Try to attend any meetings, discussions or talks which will help you find like-minded people and even signpost you to other groups to join. Connecting with others will keep you up to date with current issues and developments within the industry.”