“In nature nothing exists alone.” -Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
If you live in the U.S., or indeed many parts of the world where global news is easily accessed, you will know that the Northeast U.S. and Eastern Seaboard have spent days in a cloud of smoke billowed down from wildfires raging in Eastern Canada. For many, this is the first time climate change has come knocking in such a dramatic way. Of course, we all know intellectually that climate change is upon us, and yet it often remains rather abstract. Perhaps a warmer winter than usual or a bigger storm, but this week has served as a wake-up call for many who have sat outside the wiley grip of climate change until now. So what next? Will this spur a reckoning, a soul-searching during which real change begins? Or will we forget, move on complacently as we have done up to now?
Jessica Cannon joined us to talk about her show, Veils, on view at Polina Berlin Gallery until June 24. The title engages with the paintings in the show in a few different ways – in one sense, it is a formal reference to the layering in the works, but Cannon believes it also relates to the process of making the work in that they reveal themselves slowly. To hear more about the works, exhibition and Cannon’s life as an artist, listen to the complete interview.
Tim Brawner has work on exhibit at Management Gallery in a show titled Glad Tidings, which runs until June 18. The work speaks to his fascination with the way in which figurative painting relates to weird fiction. The title indicates something coming from the outside, as though the paintings themselves were announcing the good news of their arrival. To hear more, listen to the complete interview.
A few words to keep in your pocket
The clock ticks louder all the time. Perhaps it’s time to wake up.
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. Praxis user Ana de portela is reading Arthur Rimbaud Complete Works.
Deadlines:
This Place Meant is an open call to “third-culture kids, for the descendants of mass displacement forced to leave lush landscapes, fecund soils, rolling hills and expansive forests.” Artists are invited to submit their work until June 19. For more information, visit the website.
Brainard Carey 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.