“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” -Voltaire
Throughout history we have faced many dark moments. The question has always been what do we do when such a time is upon us? Do we turn a blind eye or join the darkness in order to preserve our own quiet and calm in the little world we have created – or do we rise up and speak out, demanding an end to cruelty? It is no easy task to look the ruler in the eye and refuse to obey, but history is full of those who have and, in so doing, have changed the world.
Zara Stanhope lives and works in Brisbane, Australia where she is curatorial manager for Asian and Pacific art at the Queensland Art Gallery|Gallery of Modern Art. The gallery developed a triennial program starting in the early 90s which in the most recent iteration drew over 400 works of art from around the region. The gallery also has one of the best established collections of art from around Asia and the Pacific region. Extensive research and discussion goes into what regions the gallery will delve into next to expand their collection. Stanhope is also currently curating an exhibition of indigenous Australian artists. To hear more about her curatorial work and the art from around the region, listen to the complete interview.
Lorenzo Triburgo is based in Brooklyn, NY. At the moment he is involved in many projects. Along with his partner, Triburgo recently screened a collaborative video, Monumental Resistance Stonewall at the LGBTQ Center in the West Village, the Baxter Street Gallery in Chinatown and at Speak Out, an event that collects stories from LGBTQ people. The pair have also been putting on what Triburgo refers to as “Guerrilla Screenings” which they intend to continue. In one instance they screened on the subway, in another on one of the lions at the NY Public Library. Triburgo is also curating his first show called Criminalize This addressing mass incarceration from a queer perspective. To hear more about this project and the rest of Triburgo’s current work, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
If it is true that the measure of a society lies in how it treats its weakest members, we must consider who we want to be and rise up accordingly.
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. Praxis user Kathleen is reading Kindertotenwald: Prose Poems by Franz Wright. An anonymous Praxis user recommends A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn.
Last minute call “MiXER is a cross-disciplinary collaboration experiment or as we call it “a playground” where artists from diverse art disciplines and cultural backgrounds are encouraged to engage, share methodologies and inspire each other.” They invite artists to submit to this last minute call for collaboration during the month of August. For complete details, visit the website. Deadline is July 18.
Deadlines
Weekly Edited Grant and Residency Deadlines – review the list here.
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Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center 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.