alexa wheeler

Lives and works in Albuquerque, NM

Artist statement

I am an interdisciplinary artist, professor, and printmaker based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At its core, my work is about memory, care, inheritance, and the stories we carry. I am interested in the things that often go unnoticed: a worn kitchen towel, a handwritten note tucked into a drawer, a family photograph, a repaired piece of clothing, a story told and retold across generations. These ordinary objects and moments hold extraordinary histories. My work combines printmaking, textiles, photography, video, sound, book arts, and installation. I build layers through stitching, printing, transferring, cutting, collecting, and mending. I am less interested in creating perfect objects than in creating spaces where traces of lived experience remain visible. The work often explores women’s labor, caregiving, resilience, and the ways memory is carried through both people and things. In recent years, I have become increasingly interested in ancestry, family history, and collective storytelling. Some of my projects incorporate audio recordings, oral histories, and participatory elements that invite others to contribute their own memories and experiences. I love the idea that a work of art can hold many voices rather than a single narrative. Some of the most meaningful moments in my practice happen when someone recognizes a piece of their own story within the work and chooses to share it. This interest in shared authorship also informs toastlab (Together, Observe, Acknowledge,...

Artwork