Who is AlterDamage?
Now that's
what I call
Zander!
Zander @AlterDamage is an Albuquerque native trained in various traditional and digital mediums; specializing in illustration, painting, and jewelry design. Their art explores themes of mental health, personas, and playfulness through a fusion of abstract colorfields and exaggerated figures. Zander’s artwork has a soulful nuance that can be defined as optimistic existentialism - bringing light into a dark world.
What does AlterDamage mean?
My favorite art to make features my alternate personalities, or “alters,” which stem from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). I created the alias “AlterDamage” during a turbulent time in my life; therefore “damage” represents the hardships my alters and I have faced and the work we do to overcome them.
“AlterDamage” is also a nod to “Alternate Rebellion” - a skill in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) geared towards replacing unwanted impulses with less destructive, yet mindfully rebellious behavior. My perseverance as an artist is my Alternate Rebellion.
What are your biggest interests and inspirations?
I have always loved western animation for its uniqueness and variety - 90s cartoons, Steven Universe, Invader Zim, Digital Circus, and Castlevania are some of my favorites. I also draw inspiration from Splatoon, DHMIS, and Panty and Stocking (an anime made in the style of western cartoons).
Musically my top genres are experimental/fusion, 80s, goth, emo, hyperpop, synthpop, electronic jazz, alternative, plunderphonics, and psych rock.