David-Baptiste Chirot

Chirot was raised in Vermont.^[2] He attended Dartmouth University for his undergraduate studies where he majored in English and French.^[1] In the late 1980’s, he moved to Milwaukee to pursue a PhD in Modern Studies in the Center for Twentieth-Century Studies at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee.^[1] He completed the MA in Modern Studies, but never completed the PhD. He lived and worked in Riverwest, Milwaukee, for the rest of his life. His brother, Paul Harris, is also an artist and currently a professor of English at Loyola Marymount University. ^[3] Throughout his life, Chirot struggled with depression, addiction, and poverty. ^[4] He passed away in 2021.^[1]

Chirot’s artwork spans across physical and digital media. His mail art appears to be lost to time, though much of his digital work is preserved at the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. His digital work primarily appeared on the web on fluxus-related websites, and mail art forums.

Jerome Rothenberg, an American poet, said of Chirot’s work,

“The depth and breadth of his total oeuvre — the rubbings and collages foremost — is outstanding.” ^[5] “Himself on the cusp between “outside” & “inside” poetry & art, Chirot, whose work, both verbal & visual, is a great too often hidden resource, writes from an authoritative if  barely visible position in contemporary letters.” ^[6]