Intimacies: Self (with Olivia Laing, Agnès Varda, Luchita Hurtado, Hans Ulrich Obrist & Axel Kacoutié)

As our journey through intimacy draws to a close, it’s time to look inward and reflect on how we can get closer to ourselves. We’re considering ideas of self-knowledge and self-love, alongside what it means to draw on your own life and experiences in a creative practice.

What do artists who bring personal and intimate narratives into their work encounter? How can we open up to our vulnerability and decide when to safely share that with others? And could these acts bring us closer together – perhaps helping us build a deeper and more compassionate connection with both self and others?

Featuring an interview with Olivia Laing, an original sound work by Axel Kacoutié, audio excerpts from Agnès Varda and Luchita Hurtado from the Serpentine archive, and Serpentine Artistic Director Hans Ulrich Obrist in conversation with Gaylene Gould.

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You can connect with the series on socials @serpentineuk, and you can find more information and full descriptive transcripts at www.serpentinegalleries.org/art-and-ideas/serpentine-podcast-intimacies/.

CREDITS

Hosted by Gaylene Gould

Produced by Katie Callin (Reduced Listening)

Production support by Nada Smiljanic (Reduced Listening)

Executive production by Anishka Sharma (Reduced Listening)

Curated by Hanna Girma and Fiona Glen

Mix engineering by Jesse Lawson (Reduced Listening)

Theme music by Hinako Omori

Visual identity by the unloved

ABOUT INTIMACIES

Serpentine Podcast: Intimacies explores the complexities of closeness, and asks how we can expand and evolve our intimacy with others, ourselves, and the world around us. Join our host, Gaylene Gould, as she gathers perspectives from artists, designers, writers, thinkers, and more on how we can rekindle trust, and open ourselves up to new possibilities for connection.

Confronting the slippery topics of fear, vulnerability, sex, love and loneliness in art and life, the Intimacies series delves into the feelings and experiences which we don’t always voice – from our relationships with family or strangers, to the things we fear most and our deepest desires, to our surroundings and our innermost selves. Each episode combines interviews, original audio works, conversations, and pieces from the Serpentine archive. This series itself is personal, emotional, reflective, and an exploration of vulnerability in many ways.