Mimi Xu has tread a rather unconventional path. Xu spent her early childhood between Shanghai, Paris and Copenhagen where she studied classical piano, which she strongly rejected at first. She then went on to live in Sydney for several years after finishing a law and journalism 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 for various music labels in Sydney and Paris she started dj-ing, then moved to London where she 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 exploring the field of ‘Expanded Cinema’ – a term coined in the mid-1960s by American experimental filmmaker Stan Vanderbeek, which describes work both inside and outside of the gallery including live performance, projector pieces, video installation, and a range of media environments. Xu works on live mixed media performances across various collaborations in which sound features as the primary medium. In early 2014 she teamed up with London-based pianist & composer Rosey Chan with whom she launched Carnet de Voyage at Meltdown Festival – a cinematic site-specific sonic and visual live performance act. The duo created an exclusive show for the Gagosian Paris - Le Bourget, performing within a set created by Chris Burden. 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. In 2018 Carnet de Voyage was commissioned by the Royal Academy of Arts to produce a special performance to mark the beginning of the 250th anniversary celebration of the institution. They released their first LP "Melo Disko" in June 2019 through independent label Gare Du Nord.
In 2017 Xu founded Awkward Moments – a performance art series with sound at its core that uses mixed media to explore the emotional, philosophical and metaphysical implications of a biological lifecycle, and the eternal recurrence of it. An LP composed by Mimi Xu was released to mark the first series. Its second incarnation was a physical theatre piece in collaboration with director Carlota Guerrero and set designer Marta Armengol, showcased at Øksnehallen in Copenhagen in June 2018. Xu then went on to be a guest speaker at Oberlin College and Oberlin Conservatory, where under her direction a select group of student artists created a multimedia scenographic installation and soundwalk as the third performance of Awkward Moments. The fourth series entitled Kinetic Synaesthesia – an ode to contemporary dance and mime – saw Xu collaborate with the late legendary choreographer Lindsay Kemp who studied under Marcel Marceau, staged Ziggy Stardust, and was a mentor to David Bowie and Kate Bush. Following the live performance in June 2018 in London, a short film was made to immortalise Kemp’s memorable performance. Awkward Moments Series V was co-composed and imagined by Xu along with singer and multi-instrumentalist MAGUIRE. The site-specific performance was premiered at Houghton Festival 2018. The duo recently released their debut LP "An Entropic Cycle" in March 2020; available on all digital platforms. They are currently in studio finishing their follow up album 'A Strange Odyssey' and working on new filmed performances. 'An Entropic Remix' their next EP featuring four remixes is scheduled to be released in October 2020. The first single of the EP 'La Mort de la Phalène (Mimi Xu remix)' is out now. Awkward Moments also host a monthly radio show on OpenLab Radio.
Besides the music studio, Xu works on stage art projects exploring the field of ‘Expanded Cinema’ – a term coined in the mid-1960s by American experimental filmmaker Stan Vanderbeek, which describes work both inside and outside of the gallery including live performance, projector pieces, video installation, and a range of media environments. Xu works on live mixed media performances across various collaborations in which sound features as the primary medium. In early 2014 she teamed up with London-based pianist & composer Rosey Chan with whom she launched Carnet de Voyage at Meltdown Festival – a cinematic site-specific sonic and visual live performance act. The duo created an exclusive show for the Gagosian Paris - Le Bourget, performing within a set created by Chris Burden. 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. In 2018 Carnet de Voyage was commissioned by the Royal Academy of Arts to produce a special performance to mark the beginning of the 250th anniversary celebration of the institution. They released their first LP "Melo Disko" in June 2019 through independent label Gare Du Nord.
In 2017 Xu founded Awkward Moments – a performance art series with sound at its core that uses mixed media to explore the emotional, philosophical and metaphysical implications of a biological lifecycle, and the eternal recurrence of it. An LP composed by Mimi Xu was released to mark the first series. Its second incarnation was a physical theatre piece in collaboration with director Carlota Guerrero and set designer Marta Armengol, showcased at Øksnehallen in Copenhagen in June 2018. Xu then went on to be a guest speaker at Oberlin College and Oberlin Conservatory, where under her direction a select group of student artists created a multimedia scenographic installation and soundwalk as the third performance of Awkward Moments. The fourth series entitled Kinetic Synaesthesia – an ode to contemporary dance and mime – saw Xu collaborate with the late legendary choreographer Lindsay Kemp who studied under Marcel Marceau, staged Ziggy Stardust, and was a mentor to David Bowie and Kate Bush. Following the live performance in June 2018 in London, a short film was made to immortalise Kemp’s memorable performance. Awkward Moments Series V was co-composed and imagined by Xu along with singer and multi-instrumentalist MAGUIRE. The site-specific performance was premiered at Houghton Festival 2018. The duo recently released their debut LP "An Entropic Cycle" in March 2020; available on all digital platforms. They are currently in studio finishing their follow up album 'A Strange Odyssey' and working on new filmed performances. 'An Entropic Remix' their next EP featuring four remixes is scheduled to be released in October 2020. The first single of the EP 'La Mort de la Phalène (Mimi Xu remix)' is out now. Awkward Moments also host a monthly radio show on OpenLab Radio.