cool WIP

THE MAQ IS BACK!  Surprise surprise… Troy Sherman, Curator at University Galleries of Illinois State University aka the founder, editor, and writer of St. Louis' most controversial critical compendium Midwest Art Quarterly is live and in the studio. We're talkin' Cape Cod, curation, Captain Beef Heart, Rolling Stone, post-modernists in recovery, crises of faith, art writing vs. criticism, Regina George, and anonymity.  Oh… and of course… The theory behind the critical journal Midwest Art Quarterly, the void in actual critique, access to language, getting other people to write for you, guerrilla distribution techniques, the role of humor, and the role of the critic. You can check out VOLUME TWO of Midwest Art Quarterly which will be released in the coming weeks… Check their Instagram to find out when you can get your hands on the latest issue.  IG: @midwestartquarterly

RUN RUN RUN! To hear our SEASON FOUR opener, Betsy Zeitler-Ellison This episode is getting released just as Betsy's first solo exhibition RUN RUN RUN closes at Monaco, so ICYMI… we're talkin art goths, pre-JUULs, New Dark Ages, HTML, rabbit pelts, a grand unified theory of pain, AI image generators, karaoke clubs, gray-hounds, the way in which representation recognizes the dissonance caused by experience, the fracturing of a once-whole “self” into parallel “selves,” the potency of transforming cleaved identities into literal familiars which function as characters in the narratives we tell ourselves in the wake of trauma, and how to make all of that kind of funny and beautiful. Find Betsy on IG: @b.eszi or her website: www.beszi.work/

BUT WAIT there's more! We have a special returning guest joining Nathaniel - just 4 U! We're talkin' Nathaniel's latest show of large scale paintings Like a Pile of Mud on view at the Bunker in Silico, Young Dolph, white trash aesthetics, trading punk for plein aire painting, fire, mark making, erasure, band names, the residency conundrum, how one man's painting practice is another's anxiety nightmare, the Madonna and Child, oil markers, the best ways to honestly represent complicated and conflicting emotions, figuration, dollar-store machetes, smoking and the absence of smoking, basements, and of course – a little band called KORN. Let me tell you, this episode… butt-rocks. Find Nathaniel at https://www.nathanielcpraska.com/ or on IG:@nathaniel_c_praska Also: @bunker_in_silico @kalaija.m  

Granny getchur square because we're makin paaaaaper with practicing artist Emily Mueller! We're talkin' sad girls, couture crochet, Ferris Bueller vs. Risky Business, the catch-22 of the female gaze, meditation, avocado egg-tempura, big sweaters, elbow length gloves, summersaults, reacting to critique, and how shifting mediums altered Mueller's relationship with making — ultimately leading to a deftly disguised practice that navigates the complexities of the body, mark making, image making, and language. Find Emily at emilymuellerart.com/ @ferris_muellerz

Great walls of fire! We're coolin' with the director of The Latent Space / master of mediums, practicing artist Kalan Strauss. We're talkin' Los Angeles, manifesting, Lucky the Three Legged Dog, art on the blockchain, purple disco balls, Mike Talayna's Jukebox and Pizza Open Until 3 AM (now closed), Hollywood, soap operas, and how Strauss' expansive, diverse practice challenges the veracity of the images presented to us. Currently splitting time between LA and Chicago, Strauss embodies openness, curiosity, and a comfort with being malleable. His artistic and curatorial practices are fluid, unrestricted to a single medium or subject. Check out The Latent Space's exchange show Warm Walls, a duo exhibition of work by Andrew Park & S.H. KIM that was curated by Strauss, on view at Monaco through July 9th. Find Kalan at kalanstrauss.com/ and @kalan.eth on Instagram Find The Latent Space at  thelatentspace.art/ @thelatentspace on Instagram

Welcome to Esthercom!!! Anything is possible with the neon queen… the incredible Brooklyn based sculptor Esther Ruiz.  She traveled ACROSS THE COUNTRY to come cool with us for the opening of her site specific solo show Hall of Exits, at Monaco -  organized by our very own, Nick Schleicher. We're talking Turrel, Space Opera Suzukis, the glory days of American Apparel, electric gooey rib cages, and the way in which Ruiz's neon sculptures use the process of distillation and the seductive power of reduction to create pseudo-spiritual objects designed to invoke mystical, meditative portals to another dimension.    Find her and her work www.estherruiz.com/ and @esther___ruiz on Instagram. *Episode Note* It was brought to our attention that we mispronouced Esther's last name in the introduction. The correct pronunciation is "roo EEZ." We will be sure to correct it moving forward. Thank you for listening, and we are always open and eager for any feedback!

OMG!!! The dog ate my bacteria!!! This week, we're wiggin out over visual artist / young mad scientist Connor Dolan.   This week, we're coolin with our youngest, most daring guest, who has somehow found a way to obtain yellowcake uranium as an unemployed college student…  Visual artist Connor Dolan is galavanting around the mines of Missouri, breaking into toxic dumps, contacting overseas suppliers, and shutting down art schools with his highly conceptual work. Informed by the scientific process and employing the principles of the grotesque, Dolan incorporates dark or highly dangerous materials to develop a haunting, beautiful, and transcendent body of work that tricks you into exploring concealed, neglected, and taboo subject matter. We're talkin bacterial self portraits, breaking your own legs, needles, and of course, fish having sex in wigs. Find him and his work @csnnor and www.connordolan.net/  

Call her mother. We're kicking off season three with Kalaija Mallery - everyone's favorite organizer, artist, and metaphorical mother hen. Holy freaking smokes, it's szn 3 and we are spillin' tea and other beverages with everyone's art mom, Kalaija Mallery. Kalaija is a practicing artist, gallery manager at The Luminary, exhibition photographer, creator, caretaker, and facilitator of art spaces and communities across the country. We're talkin' myspace pics, fast and casual salads, anarchic art spaces, untethered aesthetics, freedom: cult of self expression, punctdom, solipsistic photography, and navigating a capitalist system while maintaining an ethical praxis. @Kalaija.m on Instagram

It's another meaty one… This week we're coolin' with longtime friends Edo Rosenblith and Erik S Peterson! We're talking about EVERYTHING including their show Monument Valley at Monaco, milky substrates, the Boss, promptly moving to Brooklyn, the Hulk, tumblr death, how authorship changes in the face of collaboration, and finally, the way in which art is the last vestige of magical thinking that we've permitted in Contemporary society as we navigate what we value, what we choose to remember, and how we construct our personal histories.  @edorosenblith on Instagram and edorosenblith.com @ricktatum on Instagram

This week we're coolin' with one of the biggest weirdos we know, Howard Krohn! We're talking Monaco, manifesting cable, hamster deaths, the lack of oblique agendas, and the way in which the ambiguity of a mark, the visible stages of revision, and the playfulness of mistakes made permanent, allow the viewer just a moment, to escape into and empathize with Krohn's process driven abstract paintings. @Howard_Krohn on Instagram

It's spooky SZN and this week we're investigating the Roswell Incident, a man named Stump, and a bounce blastin' rodeo… it's the one, the only, Reuben Hemmer. Reuben's photographic practice has taken him from basic training to Bonerville and everywhere in between as he uses his camera to capture the most surreal, ethereal, and authentic aspects of the quotidian Midwestern experience. With a genuine desire to connect with his subjects and surroundings, he presents incredible stories that defy voyeurism, distilling every frame to its vulnerable, empathetic core. @Reubenhemmer on Instagram

Rachel Hayden, badass Brooklyn based painter and bat-wing liner enthusiast, manifests order out of chaos. Through the paradoxical power of painting parameters, Hayden allows herself the freedom to explore the duality and ambiguity of self-identity, loss, anxiety, and the occupation of space in her hyper-saturated “life on canvas” described by a unique code of recurring symbols. We're talking butterflies, clip-art, buff babes, and TAMMY FREAKIN' BROWN. Catch Hayden's work on IG @rachelahayden

Vaughn Davis Jr. has centered his incredibly prolific practice around breaking all the rules as he locates himself within the gallery and by extension, the world. We're talkin' mayonnaise cake,  riding' goofy, Yeezys, and work that rests in the ambiguous space between painting and sculpture, as it rebukes formalism, deconstructs traditional systems, documents its own making, and reforms to embody the time, space, emotion, and body of the maker.  Catch Davis' latest work in" Shady Beautiful” at Malin Gallery or on IG @vaughndavis__

Representational painter Chloe West isn't judging you for looking, but she wants you to know that she knows. Bone collecting, the Devil's Tower, vanitas, modern dance, misidentified decapitation… West's work is both seductive and reclusive, as her figures populate the space between voyeuristic intrigue and unmitigated agency, implicating you, the viewer. Check out her latest show “11” online at PM/AM gallery or her Instagram @chloe.m.west

Character studies, cerebral darts, flash fiction, the uncertainty of ochre, Carl Jung; Rachel Lebo's work has the unique ability to shuttle you into the discomfort of ambiguity. Her paintings and installations run the gamut of emotions as she transports us into a parallel universe of fiction that may be more honest than reality. We're talkin psychology, architecture, frommage-it's, mollusks, the controversial role of the Electric Slide at a wedding, and a love of vomit-shit colors. Make sure you check out her show “A Bull Called Flamingo” at G-CADD. Follow her @rachel_margueritte and perhaps inquire about her DJ services

It's another I-70 series matchup with Kansas City based painter / sculptor / bad boy Kombucha brewmeister Cullen Curtis! We're talkin' death, destruction, termites, Primordial Oooooze, Google Spreadsheets, and the way in which Cullen's work reconceptualizes the formal elements of abstraction and reconsiders materials to assess everything from entropy to the impact of the human experience on the built environment. Follow him @cullencurtis and @primordialkombucha for that booch booch

That's her name, don't wear it out! It's Bianca Fields everybody!! We caught up with painter, sculptor, and all around bad gal, Bianca Fields to discuss her latest show at Dragon Crab Turtle Studio “Rowdy Like a Racoon” and things got… bloody. We're talkin puppets, Pee Wee, the grotesque, Sunday Cartoons, art crushes, and the way in which Field's work encapsulates, celebrates, and elevates the state of cognitive dissonance allowing for the psychological exploration of performance, tension, and of course, humor. Follow her @beeyonkerz and biancafields.weebly.com

It's szn 2 episode 2 and we are coolin' it down with some SOFT serve. This week co-founders Brittany Jasin and Ariana Velazquez share how the courage to be vulnerable sparked one of the best designed qtrly publications in the game: SOFT. They take us through what it's like to self-publish, create a community around empathy and strength, and remain true to your mission and merch, all at the same time.  Follow them @soft.qtrly and order the Spring issue on www.softqtrly.com.  @ariianapearl @britjasin

We wanted to kick off the season with this wild, funky, and vulnerable conversation with craft based artist Janie Stamm! We're talkin motorcycle patches, Florida, gay line-dancing, crocodykes, theme parks, and the way in which Stamm lovingly preserves and communicates the intricacies of queer history and ecological erasure through her unabashedly kitschy, hyper-vibrant, prolific practice. And, QuikTrip, if you're listening, please stop ghosting her, we want the merch. Check out her work on the gram @glitterpuppies or online janiestamm.com

This is it.... We're talkin BODY with interdisciplinary artist Lola Ogbara in the final episode of cool WIP's first season.   We could not have found a better way to end the season than a bad ass conversation interdisciplinary artist Lola Ogbara! We're talkin femme fatale hip hop, the grotesque, body chains, P L E A S U R E, thrifting, and the way in which Ogbara's expansive practice dissects representations of identity, gender, and sexuality. Remember, love yourself, be kind to others.    Check out her work on the gram @lolaogbara or online lolaogbara.com

Visual artist Tim Portlock is our tour guide to the uncanny as we explore his aphoristic, sublime, manufactured, large scale cityscapes that distort reality and maybe bring us closer to a new truth. He's schoolin' us in the history of Hudson River Valley painting, monuments, American Exceptionalism, video games, and obviously that one weird building in New York. Portlock is one of the participants selected for the 2020 Great Rivers Biennial presented by the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Follow him @timportlock and check out his website timportlock.net This episode was brought to you by May's Place and Perennial Artisan Ales. Thank you for making cool WIP possible!  

Get your metaphysical internet spaceship ready because we're taking a journey through time, space, place, history, constructed narratives, Google Images, WWE, and cooking with artist Kahlil Robert Irving! He is one of the participants selected for the 2020 Great Rivers Biennial presented by the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Follow him @kahlilrobertirving and check out his website kahlilirving.com This episode was brought to you by May's Place and Perennial Artisan Ales. Thank you for making cool WIP possible!

RACHEL YOUN IS FINALLY HERE IN YOUR EARS!!! Their multimedia practice is prolific which means we're talkin' kinetic sculpture, foot massagers, Craigslist, signifiers of Americana, Furbee Organs, FISHING, Busch Stadium and impotence. They're one of the participants selected for the 2020 Great Rivers Biennial presented by the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis and we are overwhelmingly stoked to see their work at the opening on September 11th. Follow them @rachelyoun and check out their website rachelyoun.com. This episode was brought to you by May's Place and Perennial Artisan Ales. Thank you for making cool WIP possible!

sk sk sk whoops! we dropped a new episode! Brandon Bandy, aka the maker with the most mentions on the pod, is FINALLY here to dissect our sus-ioety. We're talkin the seduction of imagery, E-Girls, why Hot Topic is trash now, Stephen Shore, capitalism, RISO HELL, OJ, Slayyyter, memes, Teenage Witch, and the way in which his work taps into the pipeline of our uploaded collective consciousness. We love to hear it. follow him @brandon_bandy and @risohell

This week, we're talking with Kevin and Danielle McCoy, the art and design duo that operates as WORK/PLAY. For the past 12 years, their work has challenged audiences by delivering uncomfortable truths about race through a variety of mediums. We're talkin' Kapernick, roller skating, colorism, Tyvek, and "progress" or lack thereof in the arts. You can find them on insta @work_play and w-o-r-k-p-l-a-y.com

Interdisciplinary artist Kalani Largusa brings us through his labyrinthine practice and life. We're talkin painting, comic books, surfing, martial arts, tattooers with no tattoos (yes), 2 Live Crew, serving in the navy, and Largusa's ongoing quest to triangulate his position in life through both abstract and representational work. This is seriously an epic saga full of sage wisdom and death by zombie apocalypse (Sorry Chicago, you're screwed). Check him out @3ree on the gram and at kalanilargusa.com  Also, apply for the ASAP Fund COVID-19 grant here. https://pulitzerarts.org/program/asap-fund-covid-19-grants/

Double threat designer and artist Sam Watkins Park delivers a helluvan episode. We're talkin Tommy Wright III, Direct Drive, the uncanny valley, Three 3 Mafia, Sargent, Korean Mask making, and Watkins ability to incorporate his personal experiences of being othered (while satirizing and rejecting those classifications) in his grand, hyperbolic, hypersaturated, paintings. Check him out @srwatkins777 on the gram and www.artistsamwatkins.com and www.designsamwatkins.com Also, apply for the ASAP Fund COVID-19 grant here. https://pulitzerarts.org/program/asap-fund-covid-19-grants/

What happens when you take serious, timely, and conceptual subject matter then strip it of its pretentiousness and add a wink? Brittany Boynton! We're talkin' EVERYTHING this week - art school snobs, Pam Anderson, GREASE 3!!!, the Hills, dance teams, DeSoto, Dennis Rodman, and Jack Sparrow's various states of disarray in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Check her out @brittanymichelletanner2 on the gram, @buttnbooty for some MERCH, and www.brittanyboynton.com

Guess who's back? It's us, zoomin' at you live and in stereo. We're getting back into the groove and bringing you some updates on what's been going on in the art world during these Quarantimes, as well as grants and funding opportunities if you've been negatively impacted. We missed you all and we'll be bringing you more interviews sooner than you think. Stay safe! The RAC artist relief fund is still open and they are also taking donations, so take a moment to apply or donate. https://racstl.org/covid19/relief2020/

Get your tickets out, because this week we're taking a WILD ride with Jordan McGirk. We're talkin Michelangelo, George Bellows, karaoke, Carrot Top, concerts, idolatry, youth culture, the Circle Jerks, that weird thing where Hollister and Hot Topic played the same music, a desire for power, and McGirk's ability to use humor and history as vehicles to take ownership of and deconstruct problematic aspects of masculinity, gender, identity, and performance in his gorgeous, grand, whimsical paintings. Check out his work on insta @jordanmcgirkart or www.jordanmcgirk.com

Class is in session with everyone's favorite professor (seriously) and practicing artist Tate Foley! This episode we're talking things white guys are afraid of, the democratic multiple, creepy face masks, legos, giving your last artist proof to one of your art crushes, a billion ways to draw fire, the lost works of Ed Ruscha, and of course the Riso. We wished we could have talked to him for four hours. Follow him on Instagram @tate_foley and check out his work online at www.tatefoley.com

Spread the word (and the frothy toppings)! The phenomenal humans Marina Peng and Shannon Levin are in the studio talking about their latest collaborative project PSA. The project asks contributors to confront and challenge the notion of “public good.” We're talkin bricks, poetry, fonts, soda pop, and Mike Talayna's Juke Box. We're also talkin hit clips with a special guest. You can find the installation at 2222 Chippewa Street, St. Louis, MO, on instagram at @psa_stl, or online www.psa-stl.org

cool WIP's heatin up for this interview with Shawn Burkard!!! We're talkin Palm Trees, face tats, BMX, punk, Jet Set Iguanas, and the Queens of Calabasas. Burkard's practice spans from painting, to actively not painting, to installations that all form his alternate universe of Satan's Beach. Tune in and catch some stray rays! Check him out on the 'gram @stray_rays (for now! who knows?)

Giddy up because this week we're featuring a fresh conversation with multi-media, artist Yowshien Kuo. In this whale of an interview, we're covering the Kant, venting through Instagram stories, cowboys, PSR, the Simpsons, the problem with Sixteen Candles, and finding clarity through lifting. Oh and his prolific practice that spans from painting, to multi-channel video works, all of which is underscored by his ability to synthesize new histories from American historical mythology. You can find Yowshien Kuo online at www.albertyowshien.com, and on Instagram at @yowshien. It's a wild ride. Yeehaw!

Dial 1-800-Badass because this week we're coolin with Marianne Laury, the Curator and Director of Programs at Granite City Art and Design District. Keep listening to hear more about planting in the apocalypse, the most controversial clown, BANK project, baby-birding crushed ice, and perhaps our favorite story to date: how she won a Monster energy guitar in a Schnucks raffle. Granite City Art and Design District, under the direction of Marianne and Galen Gondolfini, has brought some of the most outrageous, challenging, and experimental exhibitions to the St. Louis region and we are so excited to bring you this seriously fresh conversation. You can find G-CADD online at http://www.gcadd.org/, on Instagram at 1800_g_cadd, and on Facebook at Granite City Art and Design District.  

It's our first official episode and we're coolin with the founders of Cunst Gallery! Keep listening to hear about the best apartment gallery on Wyoming Street, Tinder, hostile Minnesotans, and mop water. Follow them on ig @cunstgallery or check out their website for an archive of their shows https://www.cunstgallery.com/ Follow us on ig @silverspace_stl And head over to www.silverspacestl.com for more content

What's up and welcome to the pre-first episode of the St. Louis art based podcast cool WIP! Keep listening to learn more about what will be on the pod this season and hear more from hosts Nick Schliecher, Laura Schilli, and Marina May.