“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.” -Mahatma Gandhi
Once again we reel in the pain of inexplicable loss. We find ourselves speechless, helpless, hopeless, unable to comprehend and unsure how to move forward from this moment. Time is relentless, it carries on and carries us along with it. This moment will grow distant, the immediacy of the grief and anger, the fear and fury will fade. But we must not forget. We must carry with us the hope and the will to do better, to do more so that we will not go through this moment again.
Ben Coonley spoke to us in early May 2022. He is about a year out from his next large-scale exhibition and is busy hoarding old technology at the moment. His process, he admits, tends to be quite messy, quite the opposite of what he would advise for his students when putting together large bodies of work. All the same, he is creating a new body of work involving 3-D monitors, something he has explored in the past. As he gathers materials, he is still hammering out the deeper philosophical angle of the project. To hear a conversation about this work and more, listen to the complete interview.
Erica Baum joined us from Manhattan in late May to talk about her past and recent work. Typically she is at work on many things at once, from projects that she continues to work on over time to others that are still percolating. She recently completed a solo show in Paris titled The Bite in the Ribbon using sewing superimposed bits and pieces of sewing patterns, sewing instructions and selvages from sewing guides. To hear more about this series as well as Erica Baum’s other work, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
Lean into the depths of sorrow today and prepare to fight for the light tomorrow.
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews is here.
Books to Read
What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. David Claerbout recommends reading the written work of Dr. Ian McGilchrist including his new volume, The Matter With Things. Chris Regner discussed the book series Dune by Frank Herbert in terms of the main character, Paul’s struggle with being something of a messianic figure and the struggles that brings.
Deadlines:
University of the Arts London announces a call for artists to join their 20/20 program in partnership with the Decolonising Arts Institute. The program combines residency with commissioning, and brings together 20 emerging artists of color alongside 20 UK public art collections. The aim is to create 20 new permanent art acquisitions. To learn more and to apply, visit the website. Deadline is June 6.
is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists, most recently Making it in the Art World.