2020 was looking good for artist Xavier “Zay” Hutchins.
After a number of successful live events, solo exhibitions and group shows, 2019 ended with the unveiling of his powerful Starland Mural Project piece. The large painting at the corner of 41st and Bull Streets depicts crabs as stylized humans trying to escape a massive bucket, but being unable to do so because the individuals pull each other back down rather than working together to escape.
With this explosive emergence into the public sphere, it seemed that the stars were aligning for Hutchins to truly break out. “I had a plan to open up a studio gallery for myself at the beginning of [2020],” he recalled.