“We feel free because we lack the very language to articulate our unfreedom.”
― Welcome to the Desert of the Real: Five Essays on September 11 and Related Dates
What constitutes freedom to you? What does it mean to be free, to exercise that right – are you fully free? These are questions perhaps not all of us consider, given the time and place in which we live. If we have no comparison, how do we know whether or not we are truly free? We can certainly look around the world and see that the concept is relative, but what does it mean at its very core?
Elizabeth Hazan joined us to talk about her recent show, Under the Sun, which ran until February 24 at Hesse Flatow Gallery. Hazan was looking for a title for this collection of oil on canvas paintings that captured how she pictures things like time of day, atmosphere and weather when she makes her work, as well as referring to the strange era of impending climate catastrophe we find ourselves in. While she is grateful to be on the planet, she feels the same sense of trepidation many of us do in this perilous feeling time. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
Ryan Wallace sat down to chat about his recent exhibition, Leaves Turn Inside You, which ran until March 9 at Susan Inglett Gallery. The title is borrowed from a record by the band Unwound. Wallace often takes his titling from music, though there isn’t always a direct reference. He feels that much like a record or song can set a tone, art exhibitions can do the same. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
A few words to keep in your pocket
What are the details that describe your freedom – or lack thereof?
Outings
Join me at two galleries in Chelsea, NYC, Harper’s, 534 West 22nd St. and Pace, 540 W 25th St
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.
More books to read
Ours is a community of readers. Tell us what books you’re into these days by adding your titles to our reading list here. Praxis member Mahvash Saba recently picked up Inseparable by Simone de Beauvoir.
Opportunities
Bemis Center has several open calls for future residencies, including spring 2025, summer 2025, a sound art and experimental music residency and more. For full details and to apply to any and all that might suit you, visit the website. Deadlines vary.
Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics and is currently faculty at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. He has written six books for artists, most recently Making it in the Art World. He also has a new book coming out in the Spring of 2024, The Problems in the Art World: An Artist’s A-Z Action Guide, which is available for preorder.