Bendataway Art and Design

I was born in Brookline, Massachussetts in 1986. My parents are Kirk Sisson and Lauren Sinclair. My childhood was spent in Eastern North Carolina.

In 2002, shortly after my 16th birthday, I moved to Winston-Salem to attend the North Carolina School of the Arts for a two-year program of visual arts training. I studied under Clyde Fowler, Pam Griffin, and Greg Shellnut. I made friends who were interested in many different media including dance, drama, and music which lead to my first artistic collaborations and my interest in performance art. I owe my interest in spiritual traditions primarily to my mother, who as a Taoist, encouraged my curiosity. I also owe a lot to the local Winston-Salem "visionary artist," William Fields, who I met during my first year at NCSA. He introduced me to Occult traditions such as Hermetica and Theosophy which were beyond the scope of my rural upbringing.

Two years of intense study prepared me for my first installation, an interactive performance entitled "Thesis Feast and Symbol Exhibition." I graduated from NCSA in 2004 and moved to San Francisco to study New Genres at the San Francisco Art Institute the following fall.

During that summer, I met Angus Whyte, art collector and director of Art for Healing (which places art in healthcare facilities). I began assisting him with his organization first as an intern, and then as a volunteer. Since then, I have worked with Mr. Whyte on many creative design projects for both his agency and his private collection. I am now Assistant Director of Art for Healing.

My interest in performance art surfaced again I met Martin Schmidt in fall of 2004 at the San Francisco Art Institute. A practicing sound artist, Schmidt offered me the first brutally honest critique I had received at the Institute. He introduced me to numerous artists who have become essential inspirations in my work.

In August 2005, I met my partner Nicholas Strzelczyk. We both had a new passion for Zen. When I suggested to go to the San Francisco Zen Center on our first date, and he said "well... I live there." Nick moved from suburban Detroit as a boy of eighteen to live in the mountain monastery, Tassajara. After a summer at Tassajara, he moved to the city. He has been a great influence on my life, inspiring me to adopt veganism and Zen.

In the summer of 2007, I moved to Brooklyn, NY to experiment with the city, meet new friends, and create new artwork. I rented a space in Carroll Cardens and began drawing large scale pieces and developing a design portfolio. I revisited old friends from the North Carolina School of the Arts living in the city, and visited nearly every museum. I returned to San Francisco at the end of the summer having grown homesick for the natural beauty of San Francisco.

Upon returning to the city, I have taken more web design jobs. I am painting and collaging every day. I returned to school in the spring after a year-long hiatus. I plan on completing a Bachelor's in Urban Studies at the Institute.