XVALA

Tom Cruise by XVALA

The artist known as XVALA always knew he was an artist growing up in the suburbs of Edmond, Oklahoma. He says, “It was never even a thought. It was an awareness.” For XVALA, art is a way of seeing the world differently, and his thought-provoking work reflects his distinct view.

XVALA’s early exploration of the arts was not focused on self-expression but on producing from what the world gave him. For example, in the 1970’s, he would use songs from the radio to make mix tapes using his grandparent’s handheld recorder. “I was trying to find ways to take things that were being broadcast to where I was and try to make something of it,” recalls XVALA. Even though most people might not call it art, it was a part of who he was and appealing to him.

Despite not being surrounded by a wealth of artistic influences, XVALA relished experiences that exposed him to new ways of seeing culture and the world -- such as a traveling King Tut exhibit tin Dallas that his family drove him to as a child or art classes in school. Through his early years, he learned to accept the world as it was and tried to find ways to synthesize art from what it presented to him. An early example of art foreshadowing his talent for blending pop culture with a mundane concept was a drawing he created for an art competition in the 10th grade. The artwork depicted black and white pictures of American historical figures surrounded by vivid color. He titled the piece “Real Genuis” after one of his favorite movies. The juxtaposition of the stark monochromatic intellectual figures with the beautiful color blended several ideas about art into one picture. XVALA says, “I didn’t set out to do that. It was an intuitive thing that happened that I’ve carried forward in my work today.”

Kim Jong Un Dead: Zombified Edition by XVALA

Despite his talents and passion for art, the high cost of tuition discouraged him from studying art. Instead, he forged a traditional path of finding a secure job to build his life. He became a successful home builder and later noticed a science fiction synthesis in his industry. Mainly, the traditional hand-drawing drafting process evolved into a digital AutoCAD design process that gave home designers more freedom to explore possibilities. Inspired by the technological evolutions he witnessed, XVALA decided to take a mundane object most viewed as a home and transform it into a work of art. So in 2021, he built a house as his first work of art. He found a buyer before he finished in 2023, signed the sales agreements as XVALA, and launched his artistic career.

XVALA has mastered fusing ordinary concepts with relevant culture to produce thought-provoking artworks. “My work often lies at the intersection of art and technology, appropriating spaces, materials, and subject matter that others have overlooked as artistic tools,” says XVALA. His provocative works have garnered international headlines and drawn comparisons to Marcel Duchamp, Andy Warhol, Richard Prince, and Banksy. Whether he is illuminating the mundane by blending poignant pop culture or revealing the hidden impact of the digital age, XVALA’s instinctive talent to observe, synthesize, and create continues to stimulate conversation and expand people’s perception of the world.

Please visit his artist page to learn more about XVALA and view his paintings available for purchase.