Artist statement

I've always worked big. Lately I've been pulled toward the minimal — deeper into tech, lighter on everything else — and somewhere in that shift I realized I wanted art I could actually carry. Not hang. Carry.

It started selfishly. I keep a three by three piece with me, and when I work from a coffee shop I set it beside my laptop with a post-it that says "ask me about my artwork." It's a reminder. It's a conversation starter. It's a feeling you might need that day.

Love Yours, Pittsburgh is that idea made into a show. Every piece is under four by six. Every piece is Pittsburgh — PNC Park, the bridges, the rivers, the moments I've fallen in love with and the ones I know this city loves too. Small work is more detail-driven for me, not less. There's nowhere to hide on a four by six, so every mark has to earn its place and tell the story.

This is my first series dedicated entirely to my hometown. After twenty-plus years, that feels overdue, and it feels right that it's arriving small — something you keep close rather than something you stand back from.

Love Yours has always been about self-love. Carrying a small piece of art with you might be the simplest definition of that I know: something small, just for you, that reminds you you're worth it.

I'm the founder, creative director, and the artist behind this. I'm just connecting dots and trying to make life more livable.

— Malcolm Xavier