“When I suffer, I cannot forget that I am, nor fail to know
that I am nothing.”
-from the poem White Noise by Laurie Scheck, included in her volume of poetry entitled The Willow Grove
Basic to every human life, like it or not, is suffering. We spend a great deal of time and energy attempting to avoid this – indeed our society is built on the premise of doing just that. Distractions intend to keep us numb, parting us with our hard-earned money in order to offer some semblance of soothing. But what if we stepped out of this stream of manufactured delights? What if, for even just a moment, we embraced the mundanity and even the suffering – the struggle – of life? What might we learn by hitting pause and allowing the waves of reality to wash over us?
C’naan Hamburger joined us to talk about her exhibition, Vanitas, on view until April 20 at Charles Moffett Gallery. The title refers to a genre of master paintings from the Dutch Golden Age (1575-1675), but Hamburger says it can relate to so many other things. The works in the show are egg tempera paintings. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
Jakub Tomáš chatted with us about his show, The Field Robot of Myself, running through April 20 at Asya Geisberg Gallery. The exhibition is the culmination of a larger series that explores the relationship between humans and new technology. The title emerged with the help of a generative word model (think ChatGPT), demonstrating a collaboration between humans and machines. To hear more, listen to the complete interview.
A few words to keep in your pocket
Dare to sit with the uncomfortable.
Outings
Join me at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, 521 West 21st Street New York, NY
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android, please click here. All weekly essay pieces are here in a shareable format. The full archive of interviews is here.
More books to read
Ours is a community of readers. Tell us what books you’re reading now by adding your titles to our reading list here. Praxis member Montalvo Machado is reading The Art Spirit by Robert Henri
Opportunities
The Parent Grant is a four-week residency for artists with a child under 18. It offers a $1450 stipend, a $250 travel allowance, free housing, and studio access. Childcare options are available. Safety guidelines apply. For more information, visit the website. Application deadline is May 15.