about
My current practice is inspired by raw emotion, sacred rage, and personal revolution.
As the world experiences concurrent global crises, much of society is becoming overwhelmed, overstimulated, desensitized, and under-reactive to their personal environments - both internally and externally. My work as an artist is to inspire my audience to reclaim their autonomy starting from the most direct sources: their bodies and identities. Through pole dance, experimental movement, and visual media, I present unapologetic expressions of shadowed emotions, demonstrating that embracing one’s authentic and uncensored self is not entirely unsafe.
YAKIKAT (formerly known as J Alex Ray) is a New York-based visual and performance artist and pole dancer. Their work consists of experimental movement and self-portraiture revolving around themes of personal evolution and growth. Their visual storytelling harmonizes improvised dance and endurance challenges interacting with material and live deconstruction. As YAKIKAT performances are revisited across new showcases, the ritual evolves from space to space, showing the impact of the live environment and the live energetic transmutation between the ever-shifting relationship between time, YAKIKAT, and the audience.
At age seventeen, YAKIKAT established her interest in self-portraiture and surrealist expression. In 2017, she entered the world of pole dance, exploring and overlapping other forms of contemporary dance into this new medium of expression. Her career as a performer blossomed in San Francisco, choreographing and competing in Pole Sport Organization (2019, 2020, and 2022), showcases by Flux Vertical Theatre, Twisted Windows, and other private events. They graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies in 2019 from San Francisco State University, where they studied performance art and digital media. In 2022, they moved to NYC to continue their pole dancing career and pursue performance art.
YAKIKAT has presented work with galleries and collectives such as La Mama Gallery, Grace Exhibition Space, MOMENTA, //PIXELMOUTH, ChaShaMa, Intima, and private events. Additionally, their visual work was shown at the Every Woman Biennial in 2026, breaking back into the visual art scene after a 9 year hiatus. As they develop their performance work and build visual media portfolio, YAKIKAT continues to showcase their dance and movement work within the pole dance and nightlife community. They have also been featured in Don Toliver’s “No Pole” music video, directed by rubberband.