Your art is so personal, how did this type of performance develop?

Since youth, I have been inspired by shock art, underground lowbrow art and body modification practices. By 13 I knew I would try body suspension one day. That day came 11 years later in 2009, after meeting all of the right people along my way, and finding a community of body art practitioners. From there I joined several performance projects throughout my career, like Aesthetic Meat Front and Constructs of Ritual Evolution.

In 2010, I created my own project called “Virgo Rising”. My first VR show was at Show Cave in LA, where I performed my version of a jigai ritual which is the feminine version of seppuku. It was a pivotal experience that really fed my flame and independence. From there on, I have performed internationally from basements to theatres, to castles and even the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson. In 2019 I decided to change the name of my project to IOVXTC (eye of ecstasy). It was time to rejuvenate myself and really flex what I have learned on my journey by bringing even stronger pieces to audiences.

Were you mentored?

Not formally but, yes in a way. I do consider a couple of physical beings in my early years to have deeply impacted my courage to express extremely. Around 2007, I developed a kindred connection with flesh artist Louis Fleischauer of Aesthetic Meat Front. Louis really opened my eyes to the possibilities in combining flesh-hook art with performance that aims to truly question what we have lost within ourselves through modern society.

In 2010, the “Satanic Apache” Rev. Steven Johnson Leyba also entered my life, showing me the crazy ways of the Coyotel Church (of art & the Trickster) and that really resonated with me. It has a wild, deep, dark humor I love, and pressed me to be more fearless in my collaborations. They have each invited me to collaborate on live events many times over the years, which has built heavy bonds, memories, catharsis… and it’s been instrumental in centering myself on my own path.

In 2017, at Lethal Amounts gallery in LA, a dream collaboration came to life. It was a grand death curse on Monsanto and their CEOs, headed by none other than my mentors, Fleischauer and Leyba. They knew each other from the raw, bloody performances they each held in the mid-nineties. That night, I was nailed to the wall by my arms while Leyba wildly read his potent spoken words against those in power that silence and murder us with poisoned food. Fleischauer followed by building up very primal energy from the crowd while we bled, and set our intentions for the heart of the Sun, so to speak.

How did your particular mode of expression come about?

I was heavily influenced by artists like the Vienna Actionists, especially Hermann Nitsch & Günter Brus, as well as aspects of butoh, surrealism, circus sideshows, and styles of art that really confront the connection of mind/body, like flesh-hook body suspension, for example. Once I was exposed to body suspension, it was like finding an anchor in the eye of a storm of inspiration.

From inception to final work, what is the process of putting together a performance?

Knowing the intentions and themes of the event is first. Next is reviewing the performance space to understand what my possibilities are. I choose a climax that will be fitting, then begin structuring the performance and deciding what other artists I need to give the vision breath. I’m very fortunate to have access to an abundance of artists, musicians and professionals that are wonderful to work with. It’s thrilling to watch things fall into place.

Please talk about your most recent performance experience?

My last performance took place at my event, EVOKE. I presented 2 nights of performance art, experimental music, body suspensions, with 20+ artists making it all happen. On the first night, I collaborated with artists and musicians Lana Del Rabies and Adam Cooper Teran. It felt like a chaos void hanging by hooks pierced into my forearms as they droned out heavy, industrial, ritual musick, and projected visuals potent with glimpses of real ritual work between them.

The second night I was suspended within a complex, rigged structure by NY/Philly artist, Orban Isma. Along with cinematic sounds by Nathaniel Eras, with a backdrop of  live visuals by Lucid Interval aka Derek Holguin.

Each performance is a collaborative production yet still feels personal. How do you maintain that balance with so many moving pieces needed for any given performance?

I choose my collaborators very carefully for my personal projects. Being a very observant person, I can walk into a space and know exactly who would greatly enjoy sharing the experience with me. These are artists and friends that don’t usually need any deep explanations, but work with me more intuitively. When I direct, I am very relaxed and want my collaborators to create their parts with a bare description of what the mood and timing will be. Then, before I know it, I’m soaked in blood, suspended in the air, surrounded by the gifts of each artist.

There’s usually this special moment that happens at every event. It could be on stage, mid-performance or behind the scenes where we’re all together and something just clicks in unison. Just for a moment. It feels like the pluck of a golden string and everything is in tune. It’s confirmation of success on the psychic plane.

Can you speak on your experience in the community of extreme performance artists?

Not always, but more often than not, the weirder the artist, the sillier their personality… But really, we’re mostly each other’s cheerleaders and future collaborators.

What do you see/feel when you are in a trance state?

Stillness, a pause, a knowing that there are so many levels of presence. I find a certainty of existence through confirmation of nothingness. It’s almost like destroying the mind-body connection, and through intense experience, the mind is given precedent and a feeling of deep visual clarity — while the body remains weightless on hooks or the practice of bloodletting is being utilized. 

Where do we go when we die?

To quote Jack Osborne when talking about Ozzy’s death, “I believe he’s exploding through the Universe.” That is my same intuitive premonition.

What upcoming projects or exhibitions are you currently working on?

I have a couple of performance pieces I’m working on this year. I will be performing a special feat at Torture Garden in Los Angeles, on November 15th.

In early December, I will be performing at Hannah Hoffman Gallery in Koreatown, Los Angeles. I will also be working on my annual, experimental performance art night event, EVOKE III (End of winter 2026), at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, California.