Mimi Xu has led a rather unconventional path. Xu spent her early childhood between Shanghai, Paris and Copenhagen where she studied classical piano and which she strongly rejected at first. She then went on to live in Sydney for few years after finishing a law and journalist degree before returning to Europe where she lives now. At an early age, Xu was exposed to classical and experimental music as her father, Albert Yaying Xu, famed French Chinese acoustic architect, frequently collaborated with composers and conductors such as Herbet von Karajan, Pierre Boulez, Seiji Ozawa and Riccardo Muti. After working in music labels for few years in Sydney and Paris where she started dj-ing, Xu moved to London and launched Mimi Xu Studio. Head of a dynamic team, the studio produces original compositions and sound design for films and fashion shows.
Besides the music studio, Xu works on stage art projects and explores the field of ‘Expanded Cinema’ – a term coined in the mid-1960s by American experimental filmmaker Stan Vanderbeek that describes work both inside and outside of the gallery including live performance, projector pieces, video and a range of media environments. Xu works on live mix media performances throughout various collaborations where sound is the primary medium. In early 2014, she teamed up with London based pianist & composer Rosey Chan and launched at Meltdown Festival Carnet de Voyage, a cinematic site specific sonic and visual live performance. The duo created an exclusive show at the Gagosian Paris - Le Bourget within a Chris Burden structure as part of the set. `Later they were invited by artist Doug Aitken to take part in "Station to Station", a 30 day art and music happening at the Barbican Centre. Carnet de Voyage was commissioned last year by the Royal Academy of Arts to produce a special performance and mark the beginning of the 250 years celebration of the institution. Carnet de Voyage will be releasing "Melo Disko", their first LP, scheduled for June 2019 with independent label Gare Du Nord. .
Xu founded last year Awkward Moments, a performance art series where the starting points are music and various multidisciplinary collaborations. Using mix media as its language, the project explores one narrative in six chapters - the circular concept of lifecycles and the eternal recurrence of it. A LP composed by Mimi Xu was released as result of the first series. The second episode - a collaboration with director Carlota Guerrero, art director Marta Armengol along with creative producer Anna Senno, was showcased in Copenhagen last year. Xu was also a guest speaker at Oberlin College and Oberlin Conservatory where under her direction, a group of selected student artists created a multimedia scenographic installation and soundwalk as part of the third series of Awkward Moments. The fourth series called Kinetic Synaesthesia, an odd to contemporary dance and mime, is a collaboration with the late legendary choreographer Lindsay Kemp who studied under Marcel Marceau, staged Ziggy Stardust, was a mentor to David Bowie and Kate Bush. Following the live performance in June, a video is in the making and will be released soon.. Awkward Moments Series V was co-composed and imagined by Xu along with singer songwriter Maguire. The site specific performance was premiered at Houghton Festival 2018.. An album will be released end of the year and a sequel (V.2) is programmed to be launched at Houghton Festival this year.
Mimi also djs under the mysterious name of Misty Rabbit and plays a distinguish style of seamless sets fuelled by her eclectic taste in music.
Besides the music studio, Xu works on stage art projects and explores the field of ‘Expanded Cinema’ – a term coined in the mid-1960s by American experimental filmmaker Stan Vanderbeek that describes work both inside and outside of the gallery including live performance, projector pieces, video and a range of media environments. Xu works on live mix media performances throughout various collaborations where sound is the primary medium. In early 2014, she teamed up with London based pianist & composer Rosey Chan and launched at Meltdown Festival Carnet de Voyage, a cinematic site specific sonic and visual live performance. The duo created an exclusive show at the Gagosian Paris - Le Bourget within a Chris Burden structure as part of the set. `Later they were invited by artist Doug Aitken to take part in "Station to Station", a 30 day art and music happening at the Barbican Centre. Carnet de Voyage was commissioned last year by the Royal Academy of Arts to produce a special performance and mark the beginning of the 250 years celebration of the institution. Carnet de Voyage will be releasing "Melo Disko", their first LP, scheduled for June 2019 with independent label Gare Du Nord. .
Xu founded last year Awkward Moments, a performance art series where the starting points are music and various multidisciplinary collaborations. Using mix media as its language, the project explores one narrative in six chapters - the circular concept of lifecycles and the eternal recurrence of it. A LP composed by Mimi Xu was released as result of the first series. The second episode - a collaboration with director Carlota Guerrero, art director Marta Armengol along with creative producer Anna Senno, was showcased in Copenhagen last year. Xu was also a guest speaker at Oberlin College and Oberlin Conservatory where under her direction, a group of selected student artists created a multimedia scenographic installation and soundwalk as part of the third series of Awkward Moments. The fourth series called Kinetic Synaesthesia, an odd to contemporary dance and mime, is a collaboration with the late legendary choreographer Lindsay Kemp who studied under Marcel Marceau, staged Ziggy Stardust, was a mentor to David Bowie and Kate Bush. Following the live performance in June, a video is in the making and will be released soon.. Awkward Moments Series V was co-composed and imagined by Xu along with singer songwriter Maguire. The site specific performance was premiered at Houghton Festival 2018.. An album will be released end of the year and a sequel (V.2) is programmed to be launched at Houghton Festival this year.
Mimi also djs under the mysterious name of Misty Rabbit and plays a distinguish style of seamless sets fuelled by her eclectic taste in music.