Dialogues: The David Zwirner Podcast

Writer, curator, and editor Jarrett Earnest joins Helen to discuss his most recent edited volume of writings by the iconoclastic, enduring art critic Dave Hickey, titled Feint of Heart: Art Writings, 1982-2002. Out now from David Zwirner Books, wherever books are sold.

New Yorker critic Hilton Als joins Helen to discuss his exhibition, Alice Neel in the Queer World, on view at our Los Angeles Gallery through November 2nd, 2024.Alice Neel in the Queer World is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, edited and with a text by Als, as well as newly commissioned scholarship by Alex Fialho, Evan Garza, and Wayne Koestenbaum.

Academy award-nominated Luca Guadagnino and Belgian painter Michaël Borremans discuss the relationship between painting and film, touching on light specificity, the uncanny, and art as a reflection of self. They explore the impact of light on tone, the importance of non-verbal communication in art, and the intersection of creativity and emotion in their works.

Grace Wales Bonner, an acclaimed fashion designer and curator known for her explorations of clothing and art, joins Horace Ballard, curator of American Art at Harvard, for a thought-provoking dialogue. They discuss the ethical dimensions of design and the profound role of intentionality in artistic creation. The conversation dives into how personal experiences and cultural heritage shape both art and fashion, and they examine the evocative interplay of sound and visual mediums. Additionally, photography's relationship with identity and transformation is revealed as a key theme.

In this very special episode, artist and legendary record collector R. Crumb visits his friends and fellow rare music enthusiasts John Heneghan and Eden Brower to listen to 78 records from Heneghan’s sprawling collection. John Heneghan is a musician, podcast host, record collector. He and his wife, Eden R. Brower, play in Eden & John’s East River String Band with R. Crumb and Ernesto Gomez. Tune into John’s Old Time Radio Show to hear more 78 record collectors spin discs from their collections For over four decades, R. Crumb has used the popular medium of the comic book to address the absurdity of social conventions, political disillusionment, irony, racial and gender stereotypes, sexual fantasies, and fetishes. Explore his available titles at David Zwirner books.

Artist Cauleen Smith and Michael Govan, Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, join Helen for a live conversation in the garden at David Zwirner Los Angeles. Held on the occasion of the exhibition John McCracken, they explore the influence of Minimalism, a quintessential and often negated 20th century art movement.John McCracken will be on view at David Zwirner Los Angeles through March 30, 2024.Cauleen Smith is an artist who makes films, installations, and objects. Most recently, her exhibition, The Wanda Coleman Songbook, was on view at 52 Walker, York, from January 19–March 16, 2024.Michael Govan is the CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).

An episode on the art and life of Hilma af Klint featuring art historian Briony Fer and af Klint’s biographer, Julia Voss.Briony Fer is an art historian and professor at University College, London, and curator of the 2023 exhibition Hilma af Klint & Piet Mondrian: Forms of Life. Julia Voss is a curator, art critic, and professor and author of Hilma af Klint: A Biography. She is the co-curator, along with Daniel Birnbaum, of Hilma af Klint and Wassily Kandinsky Dreams of the Future, on view at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen from March 16–August 11, 2024.

For the third interview in her series with creative couples, Helen spoke to the first couple of American fiction: literary critic James Wood and award-winning novelist Claire Messud.

In this podcast, writer Hua Hsu discusses the challenges of writing about the past, the transition from analog to digital culture, Asian American identity complexities, trauma and healing, mentorship in academic settings, and the therapeutic power of art and culture during tough times.

Artist Hank Willis Thomas and curator Rujeko Hockley discuss being a creative couple, balancing work and family, feminism's role in their relationship, and the challenges of sharing personal life in the public eye. They explore vulnerability in art, gender dynamics, and the impact of their images on societal perceptions.