“Stories are not chapters of novels. They should not be read one after another, as if they were meant to follow along. Read one. Shut the book. Read something else. Come back later. Stories can wait.” -Mavis Gallant, Paris Stories
This line from a book I recently read so perfectly captures the human experience. Our lives do not run in chapters, they are far less linear than that. We touch on the threads that make up our lives as they fade in and out, adding to the overall fabric of our time on this planet. We can close the book on a story in our lives, revisit it later when the details are more clear, pick up another in the meantime. These clips and snippets carry on, but they do not demand our attention full-time. They will wait, they will keep.
Sakari Kannosto joined us at the end of 2022 from his home in Finland. He had just closed a show, Children of the Flood, at HB381 in New York. The sculptural work in the show speaks to a future in which humanity faces climate catastrophe, forcing them to contend with how to survive in a new reality alongside other creatures. To hear more about this, listen to the complete interview.
Julie Curtiss chatted about her show at Anton Kern Gallery, Somnambules, the title of which is French for sleepwalkers. The show reflects on a strange year in Curtiss’ live that began with a terrible bout of insomnia. Although she has struggled with it in the past, this most recent episode forced her to use sleep aids for the first time and caused her to exist in something of an altered state of consciousness. This affected everything, including her art. To hear more, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket
Which stories are you picking up today?
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. Julie Curtiss read Scoop by Evelyn Waugh. Praxis user WG Patrick suggests An Oblique Biography by Yve-Alain Bois.
Deadlines:
Creative Capital invites visual artists to apply for the 2024 Wild Futures: Art, Culture, Impact” grant. The organization provides up to $50,000 to individual artists to support the creation of groundbreaking new projects. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline is March 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.