“If not us, then who?
If not now, then when?”
-John Lewis
The world does not belong to us. We must, as a species, begin to unwind our belief that we are the owners and arbiters of this planet. This is the moment, the tipping point at which we decide the fate of the generations who will come after us. Our children, their children and beyond will look back on this moment. What will they see when they do? Will we have taken the necessary action to not only reverse the damage already done, but set up a restorative future? Only time will tell.
Benjamin Bertocci spoke to us from New York City where he is at work on a new series of large paintings. He has an upcoming show with another artist at VonAmmonco Gallery in Washington, D.C. The show will be all new work, mostly larger paintings. The paintings represent pixels and are about 4′ tall by 3′ wide. Bertocci had been working on small pieces, and he has essentially taken the images in these and blown them up to this larger size. His medium is oil and plastic entombed on canvas meaning that he takes white artist canvas and uses an epoxy resin to create a mold that covers the front and sides of the painting, in essence entombing the painting in plastic. To hear more about his work, listen to the complete interview.
Rebecca Bryant spoke to us from Long Beach, California. She reports that it has been an interesting year. One of her roles is as a dance teacher at California State University Long Beach, but she has been on sabbatical for the last year. This means that some of her normal activity, which includes making dance pieces with the students, has not been happening. This has given Bryant time to step back and refuel to some extend. She is now beginning to prepare for her fall classes when her sabbatical ends. In addition to creating dance pieces for her own practice, Bryant writes and creates video pieces to accompany her performances. To hear more about her work, teaching and more, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
The moment is now and we must relinquish our grip.
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. Benjamin Bertocci is reading about the history of Japan. Rebecca Bryant is reading several books at once, among them The Politics of Trauma by Staci Haines.
Deadlines:
Refresh Art Award is currently accepting submissions of 2D work, sculpture and sound. Every entry is included in the online gallery and a select number of artists will be invited to participate in a show in London in November 2021. There are cash prizes for outstanding work. For more information and to submit your work for consideration, visit the website. Deadline for entries is July 2.
Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis 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. His book, Making it in the Art World, is available now with bonus content here.
From 24 June to 20 August 2021, Marian Goodman Gallery and Holt/Smithson Foundation will present the first exhibition of Robert Smithson’s work in the gallery’s New York space. The exhibition, Abstract Cartography, will focus on a crucial five-year period in Smithson’s development: 1966 to 1971, a time when his “inklings of earthworks” began. This careful selection of artworks will trace Smithson’s radical rethinking of what art could be and where it could be found.