“Grief is the stuff of life. A life without grief is no life at all. But regret is a prison. Some part of you which you deeply value lies forever impaled at a crossroads you can no longer find and never forget.” -Cormack McCarthy, The Passenger
What are your regrets? It is a rare thing to find a human with none at all. And that’s OK. Regret, while often something we carry our whole lives, teaches us. It helps us break free of old ways that may not have served us and move toward new horizons. Regret can be energizing if we let it. It can shake us out of the complicity that holds back far too many in this life, offering instead the chance to seize what comes along and sink our teeth in.
Emma Safir joined us to talk about The Lafayette Rendezvous, Scene 2: What Do Angels Look Like?, a group show in which her work appeared recently at RainRain Gallery. Over the last few years, Safir has become increasingly interested in Catholic mythology, particularly miraculous moments. In particular, she is focused on the miraculous transfer of imagery through textiles. To learn more about this and her work, listen to the complete interview.
Tiril Hasselknippe discussed her show, Hyperstate, running through February 24 at Magenta Plains. The title describes Hasselknippe’s entry into art as well as the state of the world at the present moment. She connects it to the state of being hypervigilant, something that felt fitting to this exhibition. Additionally, as a teenager Hasselknippe caught the tail end of rave culture in Norway where she grew up. Hyperstate was the name of a huge national rave, the only subculture she has ever been involved in. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
Outings
Join me at Lisson Gallery, 504 & 508 W 24th Street, New York for the work of Anish Kapoor
A few words to keep in your pocket
What regrets do you carry? What have you learned from them?
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.
More books to read
Ours is a community of readers. Tell us what books you’re into these days by adding your titles to our reading list here. Praxis member Anaïs Laurent is reading Le Temps des Chaines by Roberto Lorier.
Opportunities
The Kala Art Institute Fellowship offers residencies to artists worldwide across various mediums. Six recipients receive a $3,000 stipend, access to facilities, classes, and a gallery show. Submissions are juried by art professionals, including Berkeley Art Museum’s senior curator. Special programs support parent artists. Visit the website for more information. Application deadline is March 15.
Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics and is currently faculty at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. He has written six books for artists, most recently Making it in the Art World. He also has a new book coming out in the Spring of 2024, The Problems in the Art World: An Artist’s A-Z Action Guide, which is available for preorder.