“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” -Plato
In these complicated times, where tensions seem to be rising everywhere you turn, practice kindness. It sounds the simplest thing, perhaps almost offensive, that anyone would even feel the need to suggest it, but each and every one of us could use the reminder now and again. We have no way of knowing what others are going through in the moment or over time. It takes just a little extra effort to pause and choose kindness. And it can mean a great deal to those we encounter from day to day.
Skuja Braden is an international art duo made up of Ingūna Skuja and Melissa Braden. The two recently closed a show, Pardon My Body, at Kaufmann Repetto in NYC. The title references many layers of meaning. One of these speaks to the artists being born into the wrong bodies themselves. Recently married after a long wait (the two have been together since 1999), the title alludes to the fact that if one of them had been born in the body of a man, things would have been far easier. To hear more, listen to the complete interview.
Mikael Levin joined us to discuss his show, Subaqueous, on view through December 2 at L. Parker Stephenson. The show features a group of photos Levin has not shown before, images of the canal waters in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Levin follows two lines in his work, on oriented toward nature and the landscape and the other toward social structures and modernity. These photos speak to both. To hear more, listen to the complete interview.
A few words to keep in your pocket
There’s a reason they say practice kindness.
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 Kathleen Treska is reading Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World
by Tim Marshall. Meanwhile Praxis user Rick Swanson has been delving into Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives by Michael Specter.
Moab Arts Reuse Residency invites artists to apply for an experience in which today’s waste-making culture is challenged through the intersection of art, community and waste systems. To learn more, visit the website. Deadline for applications is October 31.
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.