“The practice of love offers no place of safety. We risk loss, hurt, pain. We risk being acted upon by forces outside our control.”
-bell hooks, All About Love: New Visions
To love is to take the biggest risk life has to offer. When we become entangled, attached, we open ourselves up to the pain of loss. And that loss is inevitable, though it may take any of a multitude of shapes. And yet, to live one’s life without ever experiencing love is unthinkable to most. We welcome the pain, the fear, the chaos that love brings to embrace the joy it promises.
Alan Belcher joined us to talk about his show, Italian Art, which ran until May 18 at Hunt Gallery. His work is rooted in the work of Italian artists, particularly the nouveau realists and futurists; hence, the title connects to this strong influence. Additionally, Belcher has spent a great deal of time in Italy from the time he was a teenager and traveled there for the first time with his high school Latin class. To learn more about his connection to Italy and his work, listen to the complete interview.
Sari Carel sat down to talk about her work through KODA Lab, A More Perfect Circle. KODA is a nonprofit based in New York supporting the work of mid-career socially engaged artists. Carel completed a residency with KODA a few years back, and that’s where the relationship started. Her previous work centered on urban forests and the trees of New York. This current exhibition is described as “a public art meditation on throw-away culture and the circular economy.” To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
A few words to keep in your pocket
Be bold. Choose love.
Outings
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 Roz Driscoll is reading The Entanglement: How Art and Philosophy Make Us What We Are by Alva Noë
Opportunities
Stove Works’ Artist Residency invites eight artists to stay from February to November for 1-3 months, offering them dedicated time, space, and resources. Learn more at the website. Application deadline is June 15.