Suzanne Forbes, a New Yorker thriving in Berlin. Crowdfunded documentary art made possible by the generous support of her Patrons. https://www.patreon.com/SuzanneForbes.
This is Leah dancing the tango at El Valenciana in 2005.
I met Leah through my oldest friend, Victoria. Going to draw her dancing was one of my early conscious moments of “documentary drawing” of Bay Area culture.
The law office of Eugene Wong, 2002.
My second ex-husband was a foreign national, and Eugene managed the green card process. I believe our friend Shinsaku referred us to Eugene, who did a good job at a good price. I made this drawing on the back of some form while we were waiting one day.
Noise Party, Berkeley, 2004.
Logan and JD, close friends of my second ex-husband and I in the Oughts, gave marvelous parties, including ones called “Noise Parties”. Like a kind of John Cage experimental sound thing! For one of the early ones my ex and I wrapped ourselves in bubble wrap and rolled up the garden path, popping and crackling!
These drawings had been scanned but not posted, and were languishing in a backup file inside many folders.
I am so grateful to my Patrons on Patreon, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to take time to document my art archives.
We met on Adenauerplatz, near my home, and sat outside in the Fall air talking for hours. I gave them the mask/headpiece I made them and it fit perfectly! We had so much to talk about, with our shared love of alien technology, Kirby Krackle and futuristic urban glam.
Ixa’s new EP “Androidgyne” had just dropped that week, and it is SO GOOD.
I so look forward to drawing Ixa performing their new music live, in their fantastic alien cyborg style and cybernetic bodypaint. Meanwhile, you can see some clips here! My previous drawing of Ixa is here.
This is Ixa’s new video “Demi Urge”.
You can also see Ixa perform at the recent CTMFestival “Queers in Concert” show held at flagship Berlin queer club Schwuz. Their blacklight body paint is by artistEva Schumy.
Also, Ixa appears in the debut film by Dornika, “Dream Dwellers”, which premiered at Schwules Museum last night!
Ixa is a DJ, drag performer, performance artist, and self-proclaimed cyborg from a race of bioluminescent extraterrestrial creatures with Nubian features booming in speakers. Their psychedelic music combines elements of loud, digital distortion incorporating idm and industrial, with trap/hip hop at the core. Their new EP ANDROIDGYNE, released in August, begins with a conceptual premise of the rendering of a liquid rainbow anomaly into their native form as Ixa. In order to survive the planet’s atmospheric conditions, they have begun searching for Earthly technology to fuse with their body.
I am such a fan and so glad to know this preternatural galactic being as a friend.
Portrait session thanks to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to continue making art as a vaccinated but Covid-vulnerable disabled person.
With your support, I can work from home or safely outside and keep telling the stories of Berlin.
This is Leah dancing the tango at El Valenciana in 2005.
The law office of Eugene Wong, 2002.
Noise Party, Berkeley, 2004.
