Conversations with Artists

April 9, 2015 Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler have been working collaboratively in video, photography, and sculpture since 1990. Their work invites suggestive, open-ended reflections on memory, place, and cinema. Both are graduate faculty members at the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, Bard College, and Hubbard is a Professor in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas at Austin. In Conversation with Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Vesela Sretenović. In collaboration with The George Washington University.

February 26, 2015 Johan Grimonprez is a Belgian multimedia artist, filmmaker, and curator whose works critique mass produced contemporary and historical imagery. He achieved international acclaim with his film essay Dial H-I-S-T-O-R-Y (1997). Grimonprez divides his time between Brussels and New York, where he lectures at the School of Visual Arts. In conversation with Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Vesela Sretenović. In collaboration with The George Washington University. This Conversations with Artists event is supported by the Government of Flanders, Belgium through its Representation in the U.S.

February 18, 2015 Winner of the Whitney Museum’s first Bucksbaum Award in 2000, Paul Pfeiffer creates groundbreaking video, sculpture, and photography that reflect on collective psychological states related to the history of image production. In conversation with Alexander Dumbadze, Associate Professor of Art History at the George Washington University. In collaboration with The George Washington University.

December 11, 2014 The Danish-born, Brooklyn-based artist known for his immersive cinematography and emotionally-pitched soundtracks reflects on notions of space, memory, and cultural displacement. In Conversation with Klaus Ottmann, Director for the Center of the Study of Modern Art and Curator at Large. In collaboration with The George Washington University.

October 30, 2014 Conceptual artist Dinh Q. Lê uses documentary video, animation, and photography to explore the history and people of his native Vietnam, usually set against impressions and representations from the United States, where he lived in his youth. He returned to live and work in Ho Chi Minh City in 1996. In 2012, Lê’s work was featured in Documenta 13. In conversation with Anne Monahan, Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for the Study of Modern Art, The Phillips Collection/The George Washington University. In collaboration with The George Washington University.

October 16, 2014 Peter Hutton’s cinematic portraits of cities and landscapes evoke early films and traditions of painting and still photography. In 2008, the Bard College professor’s work was the subject of a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. In conversation with Alexander Dumbadze, Associate Professor of Art History at The George Washington University. In collaboration with The George Washington University.

April 24, 2014 Ugandan-born London-based multimedia artist Zarina Bhimji uses photography, film, and sound installations to explore topics like history and memory, particularly as it relates to post-colonial Africa and Europe. Her work features hauntingly sparse landscapes and ethereal soundtracks. In conversation with Vesela Sretenović, Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, The Phillips Collection. In collaboration with the George Washington University with support from the Phillips International Forum.

April 10, 2014 Zoё Charlton creates drawings, videos, and sculptures that examine issues of gender and race. She is best known for her large-scale drawings of sexualized bodies of black women or nude white male figures that explore the ironies of contemporary social and racial politics. Charlton lives and works in Baltimore and is Associate Professor Department of Art at American University. In conversation with James Sham, Assistant Professor of Sculpture at George Washington University. In collaboration with the George Washington University with support from the Phillips International Forum.

March 27, 2014 The work of Icelandic sculptor Katrín Sigurđardóttir examines the embodiment of distance and memory in architecture, cartography, and traditional landscapes. Her works cross the boundary between perceived and physical space, forcing viewers to create new spatial relationships. In conversation with Joyce Tsai, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for the Study of Modern Art and the George Washington University. In collaboration with the George Washington University with support from the Phillips International Forum.

February 20, 2014 The work of British-born Egyptian multimedia artist, musician, and writer Hassan Khan is informed by history and culture. Khan interprets personal and communal experiences through experimental video, digital animation, sculpture, text, photography, and sound. In conversation with Bibiana Obler, Assistant Professor of Art History at the George Washington University. In collaboration with the George Washington University with support from the Phillips International Forum.

January 23, 2014 Originally trained as an actress, Catherine Sullivan stages elaborate filmed and live performances that use historical references to address societal structures. In conversation with Klaus Ottmann, Director of the Center for the Study of Modern Art and Curator at Large. In collaboration with the George Washington University.

November 21, 2013 New York-based painter Wade Guyton uses everyday digital technologies such as desktop computers, scanners, and inkjet printers to explore traditional forms of art. In conversation with Klaus Ottmann, Director of the Center for the Study of Modern Art and Curator at Large. In collaboration with the George Washington University with support from the Phillips International Forum.

April 18, 2013 Through her sculptures and paintings, Kenyan-born Wangechi Mutu pays homage to notions of the sublime and the abject together with identity, race, and poverty. In conversation with Curator at Large Klaus Ottmann. In collaboration with the George Washington University.

April 11, 2013 From frescoes to performances, Daniel Bozhkov activates public spaces, often working with professionals from different fields. In conversation with Assistant Professor of Sculpture at the George Washington University James Sham. In collaboration with the George Washington University.

March 21, 2013 Jessica Stockholder creates site-specific "paintings in space" using everyday objects and materials. In conversation with Phillips Curator at Large Klaus Ottmann. in collaboration with the George Washington University.

February 28, 2013 Using his body as his medium, performance artist Hsieh transcends traditional sculpture. In conversation with Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery Associate Curator Anne Goodyear. In collaboration with the George Washington University with support from the Phillips International Forum.

November 29, 2012 Reyes's works—a temporary clinic, a puppet show, a man-propelled vehicle—call for individual and collective interaction and reflection. In conversation with Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art Vesela Sretenović. In collaboration with the George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

October 25, 2012 Jackson juxtaposes objects and philosophical thoughts to explore what he calls “the horriful”—the potential of our actions to bring both beauty and horror. In conversation with Assistant Professor of Art History Alexander Dumbadze of the George Washington University. In collaboration with the George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

April 4, 2012 Pope.L, best known for his performance art, seeks to evoke a visceral explanation for human desire. Cosponsored by The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

March 28, 2012 Janine Antoni gives a brief overview of her work, and demonstrates the movement meditation practice, called the 5Rhythms.

February 15, 2012 The British avant-garde artist is known for his projections that emphasize the sculptural qualities of a beam of light.

November 9, 2011 The sculptures, drawings, and models by the Saint-Louis based artist explore the interdependent relationship between architectural and human forms. Although primarily focused on architecture and the human body, her art also confronts tensions between construction, deconstruction, and restoration. Biography: In 2010, Downen was named a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellow. Significant awards include a 2009 MacDowell Colony National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship with additional support from Leon Levy Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. In 2007, she was awarded a Cité International des Arts Residency, Paris, France where she first exhibited "Hybrida" an ongoing series of works on paper. Downen was selected for the 2004 Great Rivers Biennial, a grant and exhibition sponsored by Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and the Gateway Foundation. Downen has been invited to lecture about her work extensively, including the 2007 Luce Irigaray Circle Conference on philosophy in New York. In addition, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts in St. Louis has invited her participation in symposiums on modern and contemporary art.

October 19, 2011 The Otolith Group is a London-based artist collective founded by Anjalika Sagar and Kodwo Eshun that integrates film and video making, writing, organizing workshops, curating, publishing, and developing public platforms for close readings of the image in contemporary society. Biography: In 2010 The Otolith Group was shortlisted for the Turner Prize. Exhibitions include the Tate Triennial 2006; the 1st Athens Biennial, 2007; the 2010 Bucharest Biennale for Contemporary Art; the 29th Bienal de Sao Paulo, 2010;and the 2012 Biennale de Lyon.

October 12, 2011 German sculptor Wolfgang Laib in conversation with Klaus Ottmann, Director of the Phillips's Center for the Study of Modern Art and Curator at Large. Working in Germany and Southern India, Laib creates objects and installations of austere beauty, using naturally occurring elements such as milk, pollen, beeswax, and rice. The notion that there is infinitude in the infinitesimal is beautifully manifest in Laib’s spare but highly aesthetic practice. Biography: Laib's work has been exhibited extensively, beginning in 1982 with his participation in documenta 7, Kassel, Germany; in 1986 his first official solo exhibition was held in the Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris, France. Since then Laib has been the focus of many museum exhibitions, including in the Kunstmuseum, Bonn, Germany; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles; Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria; the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C.; Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany; Fondation Beyeler Riehen, Basel, Switzerland; the Fondazione Merz in Turin, Italy; and the Museo Nacional de Arte de La Paz in Bolivia.

May 4, 2011 The site-specific structures and large-scale public artworks constructed of wood, stone, and steel by the American sculptor Alice Aycock allude to ancient architecture, outer space, and literary references. Her works invites the viewer to experience sculpture with body and mind. Recorded May 4, 2011 at The Phillips Collection Center for the Study of Modern Art. Co-sponsored by The George Washington University, Washington, DC.

April 27, 2011 Ritchie's artistic ambition is to represent the entire universe and the structures of knowledge and belief that we use to understand and visualize it. Recorded April 27, 2011 at the Phillips Collection Center for the Study of Modern Art. Co-sponsored by The George Washington University, Washington, DC.

November 3, 2010 Sanborn's sculptures explore the natural world through a scientific lens to expose anxieties within social politics and science. Recorded November 3, 2010 at the Phillips Collection Center for the Study of Modern Art. Co-sponsored by The George Washington University, Washington, DC.

October 20, 2010 Simon, who writes digital software to create abstract artworks, describes how software art challenges the limits of human imagination and demonstrates his systematic approach to creative practice.

April 28, 2010 The Seattle-based artist trains his photographic lens on the environment of consumerism. Jordan’s supersized images of landfills call attention to the vast quantities of goods Americans waste every day.

April 21, 2010 Known for his award-winning paraSITE (1998) in which inflatable homeless shelters attach to exterior vents of a building’s heating or cooling system, Rakowitz describes how his art challenges notions of social economies.

March 3, 2010 With a name that means “I steal,” this Spanish anti-consumerist, artistic collaborative advocates public acts of sabotage. Its members discuss their controversial critiques of conspicuous consumption. Part of Preview Spain: Arts and Culture.

December 9, 2009 Hans Haacke is known for exposing the links between money, politics, and art. His MoMA Poll (1970) and Germania (1993) remain leading examples of institutional critique and political consciousness.

November 18, 2009 Concerning himself with socio-economic, political, and ecological issues, Mel Chin unconventionally challenges the concept of "artist as sole creator." His ongoing Fundred Dollar Bill project embraces collective creativity in an effort to financially support the treatment of contaiminated soil in New Orleans. Recorded November 18, 2009 at the Phillips Collection Center for the Study of Modern Art.

April 15, 2009 Pardo discusses the boundaries between art, architecture and design and the relationship between art objects, architecture, and design. Recorded April 15, 2009 at the Phillips Collection Center for the Study of Modern Art. Co-sponsored by The George Washington University, Washington, DC.

January 28, 2009 Fred Wilson’s work explores colonization, disenfranchisement, and control of the man-made and natural worlds. He combines museum objects, wall labels, sounds, and lighting to create installations that challenge standard interpretations of the artifacts.

December 5, 2008 Pruitt’s work re-examines 20th-century art in light of African-American history. He is a member of Otabenga Jones & Associates, a Houston-based art collective that considers the aesthetic representation of the African Diaspora across cultures and generations.

November 19, 2008 In her engaging, often humorous or satirical videos and performances, Fraser critiques the very institutions that are involved in the presentation and sale of works of art. Recorded November 19, 2008 at the Phillips Collection Center for the Study of Modern Art. In partnership with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

October 22, 2008 Acconci uses architecture, performance, installation, and film to encourage viewers' participation in his work. Recorded October 22, 2008 at the Phillips Collection Center for the Study of Modern Art. In partnership with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

February 27, 2008 New York architecture firm Diller Scofidio and Renfro’s activities encompass architecture, urban design, and visual and performing arts. Recent projects include the design of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (2006); and Facsimile, a permanent media installation at the new Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco (2004).

November 14, 2007 The Kabakovs create installations that evoke the visual culture of the Soviet Union, acting as reminders of a failed socialist society. Ilya Kabakov was a leader of Moscow's unofficial underground art scene in the late 1950s, and led the Russian art movement of the 1980s known as Moscow Conceptualism. He and Emilia began their creative collaboration in 1989.

October 10, 2007 An art and publishing collective, Continuous Project reproduces and manipulates historical images, texts, and archival documents to examine the relationship between art and its spectators.