Alexis Rivierre (b. 1991, St. Louis, MO) is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist whose practice revolves around storytelling through world-building, character development, and material transformation. She work’s across various mediums, including sculptural fiber, painting and illustration, performance, video, text, and book art. Rivierre’s objective is to construct evolving narrative ecosystems that explore identity, embodiment, and lived experience. These narratives take multiple forms, such as installations, performances, and artist books, each offering a unique entry point into the same story world.
Since 2017, mask-making has been a central aspect for Rivierre, who primarily hand-sews masks, garments, and character accessories using reclaimed materials, often her own clothing. These materials carry personal histories and bodily memories, allowing each object to serve as both a sculpture and an archive. Surfaces are adorned through embroidery, beading, appliqué, and often incorporate materials like broken glass, rocks, and found objects, creating a balance between fragility, protection, and resilience. Her process is slow and tactile, guided by repetition, repair, and care-based labor. To date, Rivierre has sewn twelve distinct characters, each designed to move in and out of our world through storytelling as needed.
Through hand-sewn masks and garments, performance, and storytelling, Rivierre engages with inherited ways of knowing, blending African diasporic with Black church traditions, and embodied ritual to move through her work as living, adaptive forces.
Rivierre earned her MFA in Studio Art with an emphasis in Painting from Wichita State University in 2018 and her BFA in Art/Painting with a minor in Art History from Missouri State University in 2014. She has exhibited her work in galleries and museums, including Wayfarers Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), The Ulrich Museum of Art (Wichita, KS), and Center [3] Artistic + Social Practice (Ontario, Canada). Beyond her artistic practice, she collaborates with arts organizations, museums, and universities to develop educational programming that bridges art and advocacy.