“It seems so odd to me now, how one can be so unsettled by the improbable. When we know that our entire existence is founded on freak occurrences and improbable coincidences.”
–On the Calculation of Volume I
We spend too much time trying to make sense of uncertainty, treating unlikely events like disruptions instead of recognizing that chance shapes nearly everything around us. The people we meet, the paths we take, and even our existence are the result of countless unpredictable moments colliding in ways we could never fully control.
Jessee Egner joined us to discuss his upcoming show, I Want To See How Things Play Out, opening June 11 at Flow Space Gallery. The title is derived from Egner’s loose, collaborative process in photography, working with others in a spontaneous, often playful way. He doesn’t bring props, opting to use objects around them wherever they are, allowing whatever emerges in the moment to come through, which he says reflects queerness in its uncertainty and fluidity and potential. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
Bat-Ami Rivlin spoke to us about Untitled: (radiators, zip ties) which ran until April 19 at Management Gallery. This was Rivlin’s first gallery show, a site-specific, conceptually based sculptural installation using found objects, including radiators and zip ties. To learn more, including a discussion of how radiators are tied to New York, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in Your Pocket.
Maybe what unsettles us isn’t improbability itself, but the reminder that life has always been built on it.
Outings.
Join me at Andrew Krepps Gallery for work by Roberto Burle Marx
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android, please click here. All weekly essay pieces are here in a shareable format. The full archive of interviews is here.
More Books to Read.
Ours is a community of readers. Tell us what books you’re reading now by adding your titles to our reading list here. An anonymous Praxis community member is reading Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke.
Opportunities.
The Oak Spring Garden Foundation Eliza Moore Fellowship awards $10,000 and a 2–5 week residency to early-career artists exploring plants, gardens, or landscapes through interdisciplinary, nature-focused creative work. For details, visit the website. Deadline is May 31.