The world emerges as if from slumber. Cautiously we step out into the resuming fray of cities and towns coming alive once more. A shadow lurks even still, but many venture forth armed with knowledge to keep safe. Ahead the road bends in obscurity, we cannot know what lies beyond the curve. All we have is this moment, this day, a truth that ever was but one we now see more clearly – understand that we can never know the future. We tiptoe, actions once comfortable and safe now alien and altered for a new and treacherous landscape.
GIDEONSSON/LONDRÉ are a collaborative based in Sweden in a small mountain village near the Norwegian border. At the moment they are preparing for a show that deals with the various aspects of mortality. Their particular work focuses on conservation – particularly peat bodies that have been found largely in the Nordic regions of Europe. Their piece focuses on the various aspects of conservation that take place when one of these bodies is removed from the peat and prepared for an eternity of preservation. Their main medium is performative installation. Their work frequently interfaces with the environment around them – something that has become more pronounced since they relocated from the city to their small mountain town. To hear more about their work, listen to the complete interview.
Yasue Maetake lives and works in Queens New York. She has been able to access her studio throughout the pandemic lock down. She has focused on her sculptural work during this time utilizing her first floor studio as well as the basement of the building for larger projects. She has also been focused on smaller, semi-life-sized works. Her pieces are mixed media with abstracted appearances. Maetake has been recently working more toward the symbolism of pieces rather than the physical elements of gravity and how her own body is involved in the process of creation. To hear more about this shift and her work, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
Step forth slowly – mindful of the new world that surrounds us.
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 here.
Books to Read
What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. GIDEONSSON/LONDRÉ suggest The Bog People: Iron-Age Man Preserved by Peter Vilhelm Glob. Yasue Maetake enjoys comic art and has been accessing it online during the pandemic. One series she cites is Innocent by Shin’ichi Sakamoto
Deadlines
Goethe Institute invites artist working in all media from Burundi, Cameroon, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Togo to submit their work to The Burden of Memory Project which examines Germany’s colonial history and the impact this has on the present day. The Burden of Memory Fund financially supports the intra-African artistic exchange with funding available in amounts from 5,000 to 20,000€. For more information, visit the website. Deadline for submissions is July 11.
Weekly Edited Grant and Residency Deadlines – review the list here.
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Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists; Making it in the Art World, New Markets for Artists, The Art World Demystified, Fund Your Dreams Like a Creative Genius, Sell Online Like a Creative Genius and Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius.