Talk Art

Robert & Russell meet British artist Haroon Mirza, best known for installations that test the interplay and friction between sound, light waves and electric current. He devises sculptures, performances and immersive installations, such as The National Apavillion of Then and Now (2011) – an anechoic chamber with a circle of light that grows brighter in response to increasing drone, and completely dark when there is silence. An advocate of interference (in the sense of electro-acoustic or radio disruption), he creates situations that purposefully cross wires. He describes his role as a composer, manipulating electricity, a live, invisible and volatile phenomenon, to make it dance to a different tune and calling on instruments as varied as household electronics, vinyl and turntables, LEDs, furniture, video footage and existing artworks to behave differently. Processes are left exposed and sounds occupy space in an unruly way, testing codes of conduct and charging the atmosphere. Mirza asks us to reconsider the perceptual distinctions between noise, sound and music, and draws into question the categorisation of cultural forms. "All music is organised sound or organised noise," he says. "So as long as you’re organising acoustic material, it’s just the perception and the context that defines it as music or noise or sound or just a nuisance" (2013). Mirza's major solo exhibition 'Waves and Forms' is at John Hansard Gallery, Southampton until 11th January 2020. The show highlights the artist’s ongoing exploration of waveforms: how they are perceived, the emotional and physical responses they create and the various ways in which we relate to them.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talk Art New York!!!! Russell & Robert meet multidisciplinary artist Jon Key. Key is a queer black man originally from the small rural town Seale, Alabama now living and working in Bushwick, NY. A writer, designer and painter, his work excavates the lineage and history of his identity through four themes: Southerness, Blackness, Queerness, and Family. Through the process of writing, photography and painting, Jon’s work is portrayed graphically through four colours: Green, Black, Violet and Red. Respectively, these colours intertwine memory and intimate recounting of the four pillars grounding the work.We discuss his breakthrough 2019 solo show at Rubber Factory, followed by the group show 'Punch' at Jeffrey Deitch NY curated by artist Nina Chanel Abney (who collects Jon's work), his twin Jarrett Key (@jar.key, also a painter & performance artist), why he frequently paints self portraits and making the series of work 'Man in the Violet Suit' as a response to the 2016 Orlando USA shooting at the Pulse queer nightclub. We discuss his graphic design work with @MorcosKey (with Wael Morcos) for brands such as Nike, MoMA, New York Times, and his love of artists including Klimt, Picasso’s blue paintings, Charles White, Romare Bearden's collages, art directing influential black queer LGBTQ lifestyle magazine 'The Tenth'. Jon is a co-founder and the design director of Codify Art, a Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist collective whose mission is to create, produce, and showcase work that foregrounds the voices of people of colour, highlighting women and queer people of colour.You can see Jon’s paintings this weekend in Miami at Untitled Art Fair at Steven Turner LA's booth, running until 8th December .Follow Jon on Instagram @jkey13 or visit his website https://www.jonkeyart.co to learn more. View images of all artworks discussed in this episode @talkart. If you enjoy listening to Talk Art, please leave us a review at Apple Podcasts or drop us a line talkartpodcast@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Talk Art Live in London! Russell & Robert meet British artist Helen Cammock, nominated for the Turner Prize 2019 and winner of the 2018 Max Mara Arts Prize for Women. This special episode was recorded live in front of a sold-out audience at Art Assembly in Walthamstow, organised by Art Fund and the National Art Pass. Learn more at: www.artfund.org/talkartHelen Cammock works across film, photography, poetry, spoken word, song, printmaking and installation. We discuss 'The Long Note' (2018), her film that celebrates the involvement of women in the civil rights movement in Derry in 1968. Originally commissioned by Void Derry to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first civil rights march in Derry, Northern Ireland.Cammock produces works stemming from a deeply involved research process that explore the complexities of social histories. Central to her practice is the voice: the uncovering of marginalised voices within history, the question of who speaks on behalf of whom and on what terms, as well as how her own voice reflects in different ways on the stories explored in her work. Cammock’s practice is characterised by fragmented, non-linear narratives. Her work makes leaps between different places, times and contexts, forcing viewers to acknowledge complex global relations and the inextricable connection between the individual and society.You can view Cammock's film 'The Long Note' and a room of screen prints as part of the Turner Prize exhibition at Turner Contemporary, Margate until January 12th 2020. Free entry! https://turnercontemporary.org/whats-on/turner-prize-2019/Recorded live on stage at the Mirth, Marvel & Maud venue on Saturday 23rd November 2019, part of this awesome brand new one-day festival! Follow @ArtFund on Instagram and @TalkArt for images of all artworks discussed in this episode. Use #TalkArtPodcast and #ArtAssembly to tag us in your posts & stories from the day and we'll share our favourites! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WARNING: this episode of Talk Art contains strong language! Russell & Robert meet legendary English artist Caroline Coon. We discuss 50 years of painting in Ladbroke Grove, feminism, her longterm political activism, the importance of being socially conscious, decriminalising sex work, growing up in Kent, punk rock, managing The Clash & writing for Melody Maker in the 1970s. We explore the influence of artist Pauline Boty who helped found British Pop art, and was the only female painter in the movement, inheriting Boty's paints after her early death at the age of 28, and we consider the lasting power of painting but also ceramics and artworks made by hand. Her first solo exhibition ‘Caroline Coon: The Great Offender' was held in 2018 at The Gallery Liverpool, followed by her current first solo London exhibition at TRAMPS (running until 22nd December 2019) curated by artist Peter Doig & curator Parinaz Magadassi. The works span the 1980’s to 2019, demonstrating how Coon, in her explicit social and political commentary, has made art that rebels against binary conceptions of gender and challenges orthodoxy in ways that are particularly relevant today. The exhibition travels to TRAMPS New York, in Spring 2020. Art historian Maria Elena Buszek, in her catalogue essay for the exhibition, writes: “Artist, writer and activist Caroline Coon is one of the towering ‘disappeared’ women of her generation; she was a catalyst and witness to some of the most critical moments of art, music, and politics, only to see her participation muted and marginalised, and her male contemporaries canonised.” Learn more at www.TrampsLtd.com and www.CarolineCoon.com Special thanks to Martin Green. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russell & Robert meet artist David Dawson for a private, after-hours tour of 'Lucian Freud: The Self-portraits', the breathtaking new exhibition he has curated at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. We discuss being assistant/head of studio for the last 20 years of Freud's life, Leigh Bowery, going to Taboo nightclub, Freud's early drawings and paintings inspired by surrealism, his grandfather Sigmund Freud and how Freud got all his information for his paintings from looking. We explore Freud's friendships with Francis Bacon and Frank Auerbach, what it's like to be a nude model for Freud's paintings - Dawson was subject in 7 paintings and 1 etching - and discover how Freud protected his own privacy and his unparalleled discipline of painting 7 days a week, every day of the year! We learn about David's own painting of urban landscapes and also his photography including timeless portraits of Freud. Follow David on Instagram @davidelidawson and see images of all artworks discussed in this episode @talkart. Special thanks to Alexandra Bradley at the RA @royalacademyarts.We strongly recommend visiting this exhibition. 'Lucian Freud: The Self-portraits' runs until 26 January 2020 and is in the RA's smaller, Sackler Wing of galleries and they expect demand to be high. To ensure the best possible experience, all visitors (including Friends of RA) must book a timed ticket to see this show.In a world first, more than 50 paintings, prints and drawings are brought together by this modern master of British art. One of the most celebrated portraitists of our time, Lucian Freud is also one of very few 20th century artists who portrayed themselves with such consistency. Spanning nearly seven decades, his self-portraits give a fascinating insight into both his psyche and his development as a painter – from his earliest portrait, painted in 1939, to his final one executed 64 years later. They trace the fascinating evolution from the linear graphic works of his early career to the fleshier, painterly style he became synonymous with. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russell & Robert meet iconic British actor Sir Ian McKellen CBE at his home in East London. We have a private tour of Ian’s art collection including stunning works by L.S. Lowry, David Hockney, Andrew Logan, textile artist John Allen and an Antony Gormley cast iron figure he chose to display in the River Thames at the end of his garden! We learn about Ian’s childhood in Bolton and how his father’s natural talent for art meant Ian chose a different way to express himself on stage and screen! However his own passion for art led him to buy a work to commemorate every part he’s played around the world and he even set up an artist residency in the house next-door. Ian remembers Andy Warhol taking his photo at The Factory in 1970s New York (& buying a screen print of Mick Jagger), being painted twice by his longterm friend David Hockney and why he sees the paintings of L.S. Lowry as stage sets. We also discuss the 20 portraits of Ian at the National Portrait Gallery collection by artists as varied as Cecil Beaton, Lord Snowdon, Mary McCartney, Trevor Leighton and Clive Smith who won the BP Award from the National Portrait Gallery and was given the commission to paint McKellen for their collection. Whilst, Christian Hook painted McKellen in the final episode of Portrait Artist of the Year on TV and won the prize also! Plus, find out which legendary Hollywood actor is also a secret painter - Ian owns not one, but two, of his colourful paintings!! ‘The Good Liar’ starring Sir Ian & Dame Helen Mirren (and our very own Russell Tovey!!) is out today in UK cinemas. Follow Ian on Instagram @IanMcKellen and the film at @GoodLiarMovie. If you enjoy this episode, please leave us a review at Apple Podcasts and visit @TalkArt for images of all artworks discussed in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert & Russell meet artists Teresa Farrell and Alvaro Barrington (Tt x AB) at their joint show at Emalin gallery, East London. Titled 'TALL BOYS & A DOUBLE ESPRESSO', the exhibition celebrates creative collaboration and the importance of friendships/conversation when making art. We discuss how the duo first met at Hunter college and the ways they continue to inspire, critique and challenge each other to grow as artists. We discuss being a contrarian, hosting live music, art performances and even dancing within the gallery context to build and expand community. We explore concepts within Alvaro's concurrent solo at Sadie Coles gallery, London 'GARVEY: SEX LOVE NURTURING FAMALAY' and how Teresa's advice helped Alvaro work out certain paintings for that exhibition. As well the extending future exhibitions at further galleries including Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris and Corvi Mora, London inspired by the writing of Marcus Garvey, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Special thanks to Emalin gallery's Leopold Thun and Angelina Volk @emalinofficial. For images of all artworks discussed in this episode, please visit @talkart on Instagram. Follow Teresa @tuh_nesta and Alvaro @alvarobarrington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Robert & Russell meet music icon Michael Stipe, best known as lead singer of R.E.M. We discuss his lifelong love of taking photographs (more than 37,000 so far), his childhood Nikon camera (a gift from his father), self-portraits, making sculptures, his friendship with Patti Smith, meeting members of the Beat Generation such as Allen Ginsberg & William Burroughs and why he dislikes his own handwriting. We explore his recent collaboration with Sam Taylor-Johnson on the video for his new solo single ‘Your Capricious Soul’ (which is also raising funds for charity Extinction Rebellion), his admiration for artist/poet John Giorno, British poet Edith Sitwell, photographers Robert Mapplethorpe and Wolfgang Tillmans, sculptors Bernini and Brancusi, meeting Andy Warhol (and buying one of Warhol’s Polaroid cameras), a moving story related to the play Angels in America, why German artist Hans Haacke is one of his greatest heroes and the last impact of his early Athens relationship with artist Jeremy Ayres.Michael’s new book of photography ‘Our Interference Times: A Visual Record’ is available now. We also recommend his earlier book ‘Volume 1’ (both published by Damiani, 2019 & 2018). His first solo single ‘Your Capricious Soul’ can be downloaded as a bundle with video and artwork exclusively from MichaelStipe.com and you can follow his former band (and the 25th anniversary of their album Monster) on Instagram @rem Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Talk Art's ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Russell & Robert meet American painter Jamian Juliano-Villani in her Brooklyn studio to discuss topics as varied as being a noisy neighbour, Weezer's Green Album, an encyclopedic knowledge of both music & art history, watching Live Leak to stay tough, political correctness, a childhood growing up in her parents silk-screening factory printing merchandise for pop bands, her friendships with NYC artists Brian Belott, Billy Grant & Borna Sammak, her favourite artists including Mario Merz (and Arte Povera), Chilean painter Roberto Matta, Ivan Albright, Allen Jones, Walter Price and Ashley Bickerton, plus we explore her extensive & entertaining lists of potential topics for future paintings!!! Thanks to everyone who has been listening to Talk Art over the past year!! Visit Jamian at Instagram @psychojonkanoo and view images of artworks we discussed in this episode @talkart. Jamian is represented by JTT Gallery @jtt_nyc - check out our interview with JTT founder Jasmin Tsou from earlier this season! This episode was recorded in New York at the end of May 2019 while Jamian was finishing painting new works for recent solo show 'Let's Kill Nicole' for Massimo De Carlo Gallery, London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russell & Robert meet legendary American performance artist and musician Kembra Pfahler. We discuss growing up in California, her early performance art installations in 1980s Lower East Side (including sleeping in a storefront window for The Extremist Show at ABC No Rio), the impact of the AIDS crisis and how forming her band The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black helped transform her life. We chat about Availabism (a term coined by Kembra - making the best of what's available), Future Feminism, drawing, body paint, Punk rock, her respect for artists Karen Finley, David Wojnarowicz and experimental filmmaker Kenneth Anger, the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke, collaborating with Lou Reed & Laurie Anderson, being taught by Mary Heilmann and Lorraine O'Grady, and the influence of her later relationship with art dealer Colin De Land. We hear about her recent teaching role at Columbia University, championing interdisciplinary art, her friendship with musician/artist Christeene, collaborating with Rick Owens for a show later this year at Centre Pompidou and working on a solo booth with Emalin gallery at Frieze London 2019. We love Kembra so much!!! Follow Kembra at Instagram @KembraPfahler_ and check out @TalkArt for images of artworks discussed in this episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.