Born in Brooklyn, New York, Geoffrey KixMiller received his BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Arts. He currently lives and works in Philadelphia.
When and where did your interest in art begin? I guess it would have to be when I was very young and watching a lot of cartoons. I loved drawing tons of weird characters. Dragon Ball Z also had a huge effect on me when I first discovered it in 3rd or 4th grade. I would spend all afternoon waiting for image files to load on my parents’ computer so I could copy Dragon Ball Z stills.
What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on? I recently acquired a duplicator, and I am really excited about using it to print books and zines. For my first project I am going to print a really great copy of De Profundis by Oscar Wilde.
What do you want a viewer to walk away with from after seeing your work? Sometimes I make work that I want to function as sort of a siren, something that might draw people towards it and maybe inspire, and sometimes I want my work to function in a more pessimistic or critical way. Sometimes I think people need to be reminded of how beautiful the world is and sometimes I think people need to be reminded of the opposite.
What do you do when you’re not working on art? I like reading, eating and having fun.
If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why? I would stay at home because summer is over and now is no time for a vacation.
What’s your favorite thing about Philadelphia? It is pretty quiet and inexpensive. The people invested in the arts are working really hard and making a lot of things happen.
What was the last exhibition you saw that stuck out to you? I have some friends here in Philadelphia that run Extra Extra Gallery. They just staged a group exhibition called A Diamond is Forever, which featured work from Alexandr Skarlinski, Daniel G Baird, Dave Murray, Jordan Tate and Michelle Ceja. For me the exhibition seemed to deal with being young, growing up and trying to capture our brief moments of transcendental understanding. The show made me appreciate work that, in a different context, I might not spent much time with.
What were you like in high school? More of a hooligan.
What are you really excited about right now? The Diplomats reunion. Breakfast tomorrow morning. The fall.