Javi Sanchez

(they/he) is a Boston-based drag king/thing and multidisciplinary artist combining performance, visual arts, and expressive movement under the moniker KILLABITE. Javi is one of the 2025-2027 Artists-in-Residence with The Theater Offensive, and an alumni of Double Edge Theater, Summer Intensive 2026. They hold a BFA with a focus in painting from Rhode Island School of Design, 2019, and have worked as an independent artist and freelancer for 12 years.

Javi has been practicing oni drag since April 2024, and is a Class 8 graduate of Kingdom, a 5-week long drag king workshop intensive taught by award-winning drag king, Jayden Jamison. They now serve as a "Big Brother" mentor to future Kingdom classes.

In the last 2 years, KILLABITE has performed in some of Boston’s biggest drag king shows including HOLE SHOW, MANTASIA, and Magic Dyke: Boyfriend Overload.

Javi is a 2026 recipient of the Grant for Creative Individuals from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the A2 Scholarship from Artisans Asylum for their drag work as KILLABITE. Additionally, Javi received the Alumni Project Grant from RISD in support of their painting work and research at Arts Itoya Artist Residency in Takeo, Saga Pref. Japan, 2022.

From the artist: A Question for the Future

Support for Queer and Trans Art is disappearing, Fast

In The States, my very existence and future as a Trans PoC artist is under daily attack. Diversity Equity and Inclusion has been slashed, the rights of Trans people decimated, the National Endowment for the Arts gutted, students and artists protesting Palestinian genocide, incarcerated and deported.

I'll be honest, I am only just surviving.

Under the rhinestones and glamour, I work a shitty retail job to pay increasingly exorbitant rent in one of the highest cost-of-living cities in the country. Sure, I could move, but what I would leave behind is a vibrant community of queer artists just like me, trying to create a little joy in an increasingly hostile world. We all know that there is no where to run, that we create our own safety together.

If you have been moved by my performances or Art, please consider becoming a Direct Sponsor of my work.

Become an Arts Patron

One-Time Donation via Venmo

My question to you is this: What kind of world do you want to live in? Is it a world where censorship reigns, where White Christian Nationalists and Tech Industry Oligarchs decide what you see, think, and do? How long will we wait until everyone disappears?

The signs are clear and consistent, we are devolving into fascism and I need your help to do more than just survive-- to keep making art that pushes back against these destructive forces.

You can take direct action in the form of a one-time donation, a monthly commitment or a yearly pledge to financially support my work. Giving directly to artists ensures your donations don't get wasted on overhead costs that most non-profit organizations struggle to cover. If you are interested in becoming a consistent patron of my work, please click the button above and email me with the subject line "Arts Patron."

Thank you for your consideration in support of queer and trans art.

-Javi / KILLABITE

Branding

The KILLABITE 8-Bit Icon was designed by Riel Nelson as part of the larger background animation for the Corpo Creep drag act, Hole Show: Wolves & Wall Street; Dec 2024.

The Studio Martinoka logo is a linocut by Javi of Bakunawa, the famous pre-colonial Filipino sea serpent who ate the moons.

'Martinoka' is a blending of the artist's Lola and grandfather's surnames.

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