Game Symmetry: Alexis Nunnelly + Bradley Rubenstein

Game Symmetry: Alexis Nunnelly + Bradley Rubenstein

Alexis Nunnelly (b. 1993) is from Indianapolis, IN, where she received her BFA in painting at the Herron School of Art and Design (2016). She works between The New York Studio School in Manhattan and her home in Brooklyn, NY. She has been awarded fellowships at Real Art Estate, Lentzke, Brandenburg, Germany (2017), and Oxbow School of Art and Artist Residency, Saugatuck, MI (2015).

What is your idea of perfect happiness? 

A life filled to the brim with endless curiosities and support to chase them, mutual respect, no assumptions or expectations. An ability to be in awe of what you take in and finding joy in living. 

What is your greatest fear? 

Regret, complacency, stagnancy;  bodily: loss of function; superficially; heights and deep unknown bodies of water—so maybe that’s loss of control. 

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Cleopatra, Jane Goodall.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

I have an awful capability to interrupt. I spend so much time in my own head, running through 50 thoughts in one second, and thoughts tend to dissolve just as easily as they form. I actively work on this daily and often fail. I also find myself to be incredibly manic induced by procrastination, a constant source of self-deprecating anxiety. 

What is the trait you most deplore in others? 

Lack of empathy, awareness, or inability to shatter the ego. Lack of flexibility.

What is your greatest extravagance? 

I take my pleasures seriously: bubble baths; sun-drenched skin; decadent meals with loved ones; aesthetics; libations; crying at the stars; knowledge; giving myself space to feel good; dancing in lingerie in a candlelit room; deep, passionate love; nuance. 

What do you consider the most overrated virtue? 

Modesty, chastity, purity in the traditional sense. Purity of heart and character can come from setting yourself free from cultural alignment. Maybe I just think we need to reconsider what virtues our postmodern culture deserves. 

On what occasion do you lie? 

I used to lie so I wouldn’t have to go to class. I don’t really lie about that anymore.

What do you dislike most about your appearance? 

Sometimes I want to be super girly and clean and put-together, but I know that is not practical to the ways that I function on most days. 

What is your greatest regret? 

I like to think I have none, and I don’t really want to spend my time feeling that. It’s one of the scariest emotions to me.

What or who is the greatest love of your life? 

Resonating with something that you just can’t put into words… Bliss. Nature. Paint. Leander Knust. 

Which talent would you most like to have? 

I would love to be able to speak many languages. Body language, sign language, music coding, cat, etc. 

What is your current state of mind? 

Hyper-aware, eager, enthused, independent, nostalgic, yearning. 

What do you consider your greatest achievement? 

Jumping off the cliff. 

What is your most treasured possession? 

Function, my knowledge, maybe my data and photos of my past, proof of my existence. I think about possession and what it means to claim something as yours. 

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? 

Drowning in emotion.

Where would you like to live? 

In a bright, warm greenhouse. There’s probably lots of green and lots of mirrors and lots of windows and lots of sheer drapes and lots of nooks and lots of books and lots of dinner parties and lots of art and plenty of space to paint.

What is your favorite occupation? 

Mine. 

What is your most marked characteristic? 

Conviction.

What is the quality you most like in a man? 

I like when people are themselves. 

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

I really like when people are themselves. 

What do you most value in your friends? 

Loyalty, and I love my friends so much ’cause they all do their own thing so hard and are goofy and teach me to stay curious. My friends are the best ’cause I isolate myself a lot, and the people that know me best somehow know when I need them. It’s like they read my energy. 

What is it that you most dislike? 

If we are still talking about friends here... 

How would you like to die? 

Gracefully and without regret.

What is your motto? 

Know Thyself.