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Submit ReviewHey everyone. Happy lunar new year. It is the year of the bunny, so to all those bunnies out there, I wish you the best and most prosperous year. I was busy these past few days transferring my visa in Hong Kong. Lots of changes happening as I will be moving north an hour to Guangzhou in a few weeks. But anyway, enough about me. I have a wonderful guest to introduce today, Yamu Wang, an artist interested in examining subjectivity and its construct, often informed by queer discourses, by using her personal experiences and found cultural materials as case studies. Yamu mainly works with language, both as media and subject matter, in part because it conditions her very being. She received a BA in Western and Chinese Literatures from the National Taiwan University and an MA in Fine Arts from Zurich University of the Arts. Yamu also served as a fellow in the Home Workspace Program from 2019-20 at Ashkal Alwan, the Lebanese Association for Plastic Art. I met Yamu through an online art residency called Artists for Artists and she was one of the many wonderful connections I made during that time. Our conversation here took many interesting turns as we explored ideas of an Asian diaspora, practice versus theory, stepping outside oneself, and why we do art. So sit back, relax, and happy new year.
Links Mentioned:
* The Agony of Eros by Byung-Chul Han
* Dictee by Teresa Hak Kyung Cha
* Haruki Murakami - Carnaval short story
* Burning
* Roni Horn on politics in art
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Hi everyone. It has been a while since I last released an episode. Sorry for the long pause. I just needed a brief break to get some mental rest. It has been a crazy year with lots of changes for me both personally and professionally. After the brief pause, I got back some extra energy and will be releasing a few more episodes periodically over the next few months. I will do my best to keep up the bi-weekly schedule but I hope you understand if the episodes deviate in schedule a bit here and there.
Anyway, with that out of the way, I would like to introduce my guest for today, Teresa Flores, an interdisciplinary artist whose work examines identity and wellness and often takes place in the public sphere and incorporates civic engagement. Teresa studied at CSU Fresno and Fresno City College, and holds an MFA in Public Practice from Otis College of Art and Design. Her work responds to the consumption and accessibility of food, culture, and art in suburban and urban spaces. I recorded this episode a while back right before I took a break. Teresa was so kind as to still let me release our conversation. I smiled as I listened to our discussions meander around the pronunciation of names, creating fancy quesadillas, and doing yoga in unexpected places. As always, sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy this.
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Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well. I got a wonderful episode to share with you today as I speak with Aram Han Sifuentes, a fiber and social practice artist, writer, and educator who works to center immigrant and disenfranchised communities. Her work often revolves around skill sharing, specifically sewing techniques, to create multiethnic and intergenerational sewing circles, which become a place for empowerment, subversion, and protest. Aram got her BA in Art and Latin American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley and an MFA in Fiber and Material Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she is currently an Associate Professor Adjunct. Aram’s energy is infectious and I found myself laughing a lot with her in our discussion as we chatted about growing up in rural California, protest banners, voting rights, and political literacy among immigrant communities. Aram also just opened with a solo show at moCa Cleveland, so go check it out if you are in the area, something I would like to be able to see before it closes in the summer. Otherwise, sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy this.
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Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well! Today I have the lovely Yara El-Sherbini, an interdisciplinary artist who uses humor and play to create socially and politically engaged work. Yara got her BA Fine Art in Context at the University of the West Of England, Bristol and her MA Fine Art Media at Slade, University College London. She has shown in venues such as the Tate, the Venice Biennale, ZKM, and so much more. I actually had a chance to play her piece at the Venice Biennale before I knew about Yara, which was a happy coincidence. Yara was so kind as to take time out of her day to chat with me and we got to discuss how bodies interact in public spaces, pub quizzes, what does it mean to be participatory and playful, and rethinking context within an artwork. As usual, take care, stay safe, and I hope you enjoy this.
Photo credit: Hugo Glendinning
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Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well. Today I have a wonderful conversation to share with you. I talk with Rea Tajiri, a filmmaker and visual artist born in Chicago, Illinois. Rea got her BFA and MFA from the California Institute of the Arts before moving to New York. Her work has been shown in the Whitney Biennial, The New Museum, MoMA, The Guggenheim, and many more. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Theater, Film and Media Arts at Temple University where she teaches documentary production. I first learned about Rea through her film History and Memory, an experimental video essay that dealt with the mutable nature of one's remembrance of a place and community. We talk about that, the purpose of documentation, Forensic Architecture, and what does it mean for a place to exist as fiction with cultural resonance. As usual, take care, stay safe, and I hope you enjoy this.
Links Mentioned:
* History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige
* Densho
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Hey everyone. Welcome to a new year and I am excited to share with you the first episode of 2022! I have with me today Maria Gaspar, an interdisciplinary artist whose work addresses issues of spatial justice to amplify, mobilize, or divert structures of power through individual and collective gestures. Maria got her BFA from Pratt Institute, an MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and is currently an Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I became aware of Maria’s striking photographic pieces before realizing her large breadth of work that existed also in installation, sound, and performance. I enjoyed our conversation where we talked about going to art school as a first-generation immigrant, performance as practice, the invisibility of jails, guides that are generative as opposed to predictive, and re-imagining new and better worlds. As always, stay safe and healthy in this new year and I hope you enjoy this.
Links Mentioned:
* Maria’s Website* Ernesto Pujol* Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo* National Museum of Mexican Art* Yvette Mayorga* Holland Cotter’s El Museo Review* Jackie Sumell* Favianna Rodriguez* El Sawyer
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Hello everyone. The winter holidays and New Year's are coming up and I just hope that wherever you are, you are able to spend some time with your friends and loved ones. It can be hard these days even to do that, so cherish those moments. I have only one last episode to share with you before the end of the year, which is also the last episode from the Rogers Art Loft series that I conducted this past summer. Don't worry, I will see you all in January. So without further ado, I want to present Dr. Erika Abad, a Queer Latina poet, born and raised in Chicago. Dr. Abad received her BA in Latin American and Latina/o Studies from DePaul University and her Ph.D. in American Studies from Washington State University. Prior to her move to Las Vegas, Dr. Abad was an oral historian for the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College. Beyond Puerto Rican, Latinx, and Gender Studies, she is a well-published essayist, poet, and fiction writer, most recently writing a poem and creative reflection on the Pulse-Orlando tragedy. She is also a regular writer for Women in Higher Education. Erika and I chat about writing during difficult times, giving feedback to students without minimizing their experiences, queer fandom, and being mindful. This was a live-recorded event that was hosted by the wonderful Lance Smith of the Rogers Art Loft. Until next year, stay safe and healthy and have a wonderful winter holiday.
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Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well. The winter holidays are almost upon us and here’s hoping for a better new year. The news about Covid and all the variants doesn’t seem to end so stay safe wherever you are. For this week, I have May Maylisa Cat, a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans video, paintings, glass, and live performances. May grew up in Chicago and graduated from the Cooper Union School of Art in New York City. Her work plays a critical role on the dominant discourses towards the community, the fantasy of the cultural “Other,” and how contemporary art appropriated social imaginaries, bringing them to a diluted universal conception of art. I spoke with May while she was finishing up a residency at Bunker Projects in Pittsburgh a few months ago, the city I used to live in. We ended up discussing third-culture kids, Zombie Formalism, Thai horror films, mukbang, ASMR videos, and so much more. As usual, stay safe, stay healthy, and I hope you enjoy this.
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Hi everyone. Hope you are well. It is hard to imagine how time is flying…it has been just about over a year since I landed in China since the pandemic started. Now this past week I just had an exhibition opening which went okay. Felt kinda relieved after and was able to relaxed a bit. Now back to documenting and working on new projects. Gotta keep moving.
Anyway, for this week, I have the amazing Ashanti McGee, an artist and arts advocate who has been living in Las Vegas for over 25 years. Ashanti began working in with arts institutions through grant writing and has since been part of WESTAF’s Emerging Leaders of Color program and most recently served as a district representative for Nevada Congresswoman Susie Lee, focusing on outreach for Black, Native American, and LGBTQ+ communities around arts and culture, and environment and public lands. A proud parent of four, Ashanti has committed her work to updating arts education standards for the Nevada Department of Education; serving as a board member for Cultural Alliance of Nevada; co-founding the Las Vegas Womxn of Color Arts Festival, and acting as a core member of NUWU Cultural Arts + Activism complex. She also just curated "A Common Thread" at the Barrick Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, an exhibition celebrating womxn of color textile artists. I got to talk with Ashanti about many of these amazing activities, along with the importance of finding support in the arts while finding rest for yourself. Sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy this.
Links Mentioned:
* WESTAF
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Hello everyone. How are you all doing? I am in the midst of installing my show in Zhuhai. It is mostly done and I can't wait to be able to get some rest after the opening, which by the way is this coming Saturday, November 13th at Xu Yu Huan Bian Gallery, which is near the Yangmi mall. I'll be there starting at 5pm so come by to say hi if you happen to be in the Zhuhai area. I am showing two new video installations, some lightboxes, and aluminum prints. It feels good to be able to make some work after such a long hiatus. Anyway....for this week, through the Rogers Art Loft Residency, I am speaking with Tiffany Lin, a visual artist, wordsmith, and dreamer. Tiffany got her BA in Gender & Women's Studies and Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and an MFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Illustration Practice. Tiffany's work examines how power is expressed in the subtext of American vernacular. Utilizing both creative and sociological methods, she combines participatory action, interviews, and social theory to support her claim that desire and belonging are mediated by external politics. Tiffany and I discuss the evolution of her work, the use of words and language, finding inspiration in the US Census, and how we all self-identify our identities. Tiffany called in from her car on the side of the 10 in LA, which was a little noisy at times. I found Tiffany's energy and thoughts infectious and I hope you do as well. Until next time, stay safe and healthy wherever you are and enjoy!
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