The X Revolution: X aka Edward-X aka Superstar X

X aka Edward-X aka Superstar X is an emerging pop graffiti artist, VDJ, Original X Creator @ Superstar X Inc., and Gay Circuit Boy Performer Superstar. Over the past 15 years he has lived across Canada – in Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Montréal. He has travelled to various countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Mexico and South Africa, with other special trips to cities in the United States including New York, Boston, Palm Springs, Honolulu and Los Angeles. His experiences attending key events in the international digital/DJ Culture and electronic music circuit, such as the spectacular BBCM Black & Blue Festivals, (one of the largest fundraisers for HIV/AIDS in the world) and countless other parties and events, has given him an independent and distinct perspective to create compelling pop graffiti artwork and music that represent a transformative time and space. Below is a copyrighted excerpt from Superstar X Inc.’s website, www.SuperstarX.com, where my sister Nicole wrote a very kind and concise bio description of my life story. SUPERSTAR X ABOUT VALUES X CREATORS X GALLERY X CHARACTERS X FILM X SHOP X BLOG X PARTNERS X SPONSORS X INVESTORS CONTACT About My Brother, Edward K. Weatherly This is a photo of Edward and I at the Armand Hammer United Word College of the American West (UWC-USA) 20-year reunion. Although it was an amazing experience for Edward to attend UWC-USA, he was hesitant to go back. He didn’t want to face his former classmates and deal with the questions. So, I went with him. It’s been hard for Edward to feel good about what he’s done with his life since UWC-USA, but he’s coming to terms with that. He’s learning that we each have our own special journey, including him. This is a photo of Edward and I at the Armand Hammer United Word College of the American West (UWC-USA) 20-year reunion. Although it was an amazing experience for Edward to attend UWC-USA, he was hesitant to go back. He didn’t want to face his former classmates and deal with the questions. So, I went with him. It’s been hard for Edward to feel good about what he’s done with his life since UWC-USA, but he’s coming to terms with that. He’s learning that we each have our own special journey, including him. Dear Reader, My brother, Edward K. Weatherly, used to be very comfortable in the spotlight. In fact, he loved it. Now, it’s a much different story. It’s rare that my brother leaves the house. He prefers to be by himself or only interact with people he knows. It’s a really big deal for my brother to interact with the world. So, it’s a really big deal that he’s sharing his story and his artwork for the world to see. I admire Edward’s courage to share his journey with us. I admire anyone who has the courage to share who they really are with the world. It’s inspiring. My wish is that SUPERSTAR X helps my brother, and all of us, to feel good about being human, however that’s expressed. I believe stories about being human are SO important for us to share, as they can help us feel more connected to ourselves, each other, and the world. It can be very liberating and healing to face our fears of judg(e)ment or rejection and to show up and be who we really are. However, I’ve learned that we must be ready for that and timing is everything. We each have our own timing and our own way to reveal whatever we’re ready to reveal and however we want to reveal it. So, until Edward is ready to write his bio, he’s asked that I write one for him: Edward is a self-taught pop-graffiti artist. His artwork provides us with an insightful glimpse into the rollercoaster ride through his darkness of schizophrenia, addiction, homelessness, homosexuality, and HIV, along the way to his light. Edward also finds inspiration from multimedia messages, such as binary digits, the letter X, billboards, aliens, and DJ culture. Some of Edward’s favourite music artists and DJs include Madonna, DJ Mark Anthony, DJ TK, Honey Dijon, Deko-Ze, Stephan Grondin, Paulo, Morabito, Danny Tenaglia, Victor Calderone, and Shawn Riker. Edward was a gifted child. He excelled in academics, classical piano, drama, and track-and-field. Based on his achievements, he obtained a full scholarship to attend Armand Hammer United World College of the American West (UWC-USA), located in Montezuma, New Mexico. The UWC-USA is one of 16 colleges in the world that “…makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future.” Currently, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan is President of all the United World Colleges. Upon graduating from UWC-USA, Edward received a full scholarship to attend Trinity College, at the University of Toronto, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was here that Edward demonstrated his first psychotic episode, which ultimately prevented him from graduating. Edward was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. There is a severe lack of awareness and understanding about schizophrenia that feeds the stigma associated with it, which is largely perpetuated by the media. For example, schizophrenia is NOT a split or multiple personality disorder and most people with schizophrenia are nonviolent, but the contrary is often the misunderstanding. The word schizophrenia originates from two Greek words that mean “split mind,” which was first used by a Swiss psychiatrist, Eugen Bleuler, to describe the mind’s split or separation from reality. While there exist many definitions, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) defines schizophrenia as the following: “Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. People with schizophrenia may seem like they have lost touch with reality. Although schizophrenia is not as common as other mental disorders, the symptoms can be very disabling.” — National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Approximately 1% of the population has schizophrenia. Symptoms tend to be found earlier in males (late teens to early twenties) and later in females (late twenties to early thirties). Although there is no cure for schizophrenia, there is treatment. There is hope. In addition to this diagnosis, there were many challenges that Edward faced, but there was also a significant light that surfaced during this time. The light was Edward’s artwork, revealing influences of his artist idols: Keith Haring and Andy Warhol. Before hospitalization, Edward’s art materialized in a mixed-media form: he drew his designs on top of pages from magazines or other print media. Upon hospitalization, Edward’s art came to life in a way that seemed to more clearly connect us to what he was trying to say. This is the first piece Edward drew, after being hospitalized for the first time… “My Self” by Edward K. Weatherly “My Self” by Edward K. Weatherly I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a piece of Edward’s artwork without at least one “X” in it and/or some form of an alien being with antennae. The letter “X” and aliens have significant meaning for Edward. He believed he was communicating with aliens by means of the letter “X,” which he found “secretly hidden” within multimedia content or contexts. For example, if he saw the word “question” on a billboard, he would convert the letter “i” to represent the number “1” and the letter “o” to represent the number “0.” Together, these numbers made ten, which is also an “X” in Roman numerals. This pattern would repeat itself, incessantly. Wherever he went and wherever he looked, he was diligently making these translations. He often told our family that he didn’t know what this message was exactly but he was convinced it was BIG. We’re now convinced, no matter what the source, my brother was right: it’s a very BIG message, indeed. The five photos below are from Edward’s first art exhibition, “My Self, My Message,” at Gallery^X, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This show meant a lot to him, and it was in a perfect location: Toronto, the city he loved, and the gallery had an “X” in its name. All of the ingredients he needed at the time. The front-and-back view of the cards that were used to promote Edward’s first public art exhibition was “My Self, My Message,” at Gallery^X, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The front-and-back view of the cards that were used to promote Edward’s first public art exhibition was “My Self, My Message,” at Gallery^X, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Some of Edward’s artwork that was on display at his first art exhibition, “My Self, My Message,” at Gallery^X, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Some of Edward’s artwork that was on display at his first art exhibition, “My Self, My Message,” at Gallery^X, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Edward is intently focused on creating his next piece, atop a tarp, during his first public art exhibition: “My Self, My Message.” Edward is intently focused on creating his next piece, atop a tarp, during his first public art exhibition: “My Self, My Message.” Some of Edward’s larger pieces, on display at his first public art exhibition: “My Self, My Message.” Some of Edward’s larger pieces, on display at his first public art exhibition: “My Self, My Message.” Edward is posing for a photo to include in a promo about his first public art exhibition, “My Self, My Message,” published in Toronto’s Xtra! Edward is wearing a hoodie with a silk-screened image of one of his pieces: “Control.” Edward is posing for a photo to include in a promo about his first public art exhibition, “My Self, My Message,” published in Toronto’s Xtra! Edward is wearing a hoodie with a silk-screened image of one of his pieces: “Control.” As Edward continued to create, it became clear that his artwork played a vital role in his recovery, which fuelled the inspiration for me to write a screenplay and create SUPERSTAR X, a social multimedia company that celebrates being human, to entertain and enlighten. While working on the pre-production of the 3D-animation docudrama version of SUPERSTAR X, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Edward was interviewed with Xtra! magazine. Click here to read an article, called “Road to Recovery,” which includes an interview with Edward that was published in Vancouver’s Xtra! magazine. Eventually, Edward returned to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he lived with our mother for 10 years before returning to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where he now lives by himself in The Village. Taken circa 2008, the three photos below are from my first trip to Toronto with Edward, to attend SNAP!, an annual fundraiser for the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT). Edward and I (Nicole) having fun at SNAP!, an annual fundraiser for the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT). Edward and I (Nicole) having fun at SNAP!, an annual fundraiser for the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT). Edward on the “red carpet” at SNAP!, an annual AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) fundraiser. Edward on the “red carpet” at SNAP!, an annual AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) fundraiser. This is a photo from our trip to Toronto, the first time Edward had been back since “living” on the streets. It was a very emotional but healing trip for both of us. This is a photo from our trip to Toronto, the first time Edward had been back since “living” on the streets. It was a very emotional but healing trip for both of us. In October 2013, Edward was appointed Artistic Curator / Special Partner with the BBCM Foundation to assist the Organizing Committee with the debut edition of LIVE Art Multimedia Interaction at the Black & Blue Festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. At the BBCM’s Black & Blue Festival, he also performed as an opening DJ and created a 23-hour long multimedia VJ laser installation, in collaboration with LaserTech Canada. The video below is a sample from this collaborative installation. The video below is the complete multimedia VJ installation that Edward created and debuted at the Black & Blue Festival. The images, movements, and remixes (using GrandVJ software) are by Edward (Note: LaserTech Canada added lasers over Edward’s installation at the event, as the lasers were not embedded in his installation video). The following two music mixes are from Edward’s performance as a DJ, in October 2013, for the Black & Blue Festival while creating a 23-hour long multimedia VJ laser installation, in collaboration with LaserTech Canada. To listen to more of Edward’s mixes, please click here to check out his profile on SoundCloud. The three photos below are from the BBCM Foundation’s LIVE Art Multimedia Interaction. The first two photos show Edward’s art pieces that he created live at the event, and the third photo is one of the rooms that displayed some of final creations by other participating artists. “NO. X,” one of the art pieces that Edward created live at the BBCM Foundation’s LIVE Art Multimedia Interaction event. Photo Source: BBCM Foundation “NO. X,” one of the art pieces that Edward created live at the BBCM Foundation’s LIVE Art Multimedia Interaction event. Photo Source: BBCM Foundation “NO. IX,” one of the art pieces that Edward created live at the BBCM Foundation’s LIVE Art Multimedia Interaction event. Photo Source: BBCM Foundation “NO. IX,” one of the art pieces that Edward created live at the BBCM Foundation’s LIVE Art Multimedia Interaction event. Photo Source: BBCM Foundation One of the rooms at the BBCM Foundation’s LIVE Art Multimedia Interaction event, which displayed some of the final creations by other participating artists. Photo Source: BBCM Foundation One of the rooms at the BBCM Foundation’s LIVE Art Multimedia Interaction event, which displayed some of the final creations by other participating artists. Photo Source: BBCM Foundation No matter where Edward has been along his journey, I’ve always felt synchronously connected to him but it has definitely not been easy. There have been many heart-breaking and mind-breaking moments for our family, as the rollercoaster ride is still there in varying degrees, threatening to steal Edward away from us. It’s an ongoing education on how to love Edward without enabling him at our family’s expense (and ultimately his), depending on where he’s at along his journey. It’s also a big reason why I was inspired to create SUPERSTAR X, to celebrate being human, for those who are afflicted with mental illness and addiction challenges but also for the families who are often devastated by the effects as well. No matter what, we do our best to not stay in the darkness and instead focus on our gratitude, trusting our journeys, being true to ourselves, and loving each other along the way. I wish you a wonderful day! Thank you for reading, Nicole Categories: Biographies Tags: Edward K Weatherly, schizophrenia, mental illness, mental health, pop-graffiti artist March 2, 2017 4 Likes Share Share Comments (0) Newest First Subscribe via e-mail Preview POST COMMENT… The Wonderful World of “Wrong” About Me, Nicole M. Weatherly