POPULARITY
In 1915, Marcel Duchamp bought a snow shovel at a hardware store in New York City. He inscribed his signature and the date on its wooden handle. On the evening this episode is released, the fourth version of this classic “ready-made,” which he titled “In Advance of the Broken Arm,” will be auctioned off at Christie's during their 20th Century Evening Sale. It's estimated to sell for $2 million to $3 million.How could a simple snow shovel be valued at such a steep price? Was Duchamp an unmatched genius, or a product of some of the biggest museums' dirtiest little secrets: the results of pure, unadulterated capitalism?Northeastern University professor, essayist, poet, and editor Eunsong Kim has illuminated the underlying influences of industrial capitalism and racism behind some of the most prized museum collections in her new book, The Politics of Collecting: Race and the Aestheticization of Property. She traces how Duchamp was brought to prominence through the patronage of collectors Louise and Walter Arensberg, heirs of a fortune wrought by the steel industry. Their family operated steel mills in the same setting as titans such as Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick, whose wealth also underlies their own valuable art collections.And as it turns out, the “death of the author,” celebrated in conceptual art like that of Duchamp, is a convenient idea for the ultrawealthy. Devaluing labor pairs well with violent crackdowns on striking workers to deny them adequate pay. Or even Frederick Winslow Taylor's development of “scientific management,” a system that is still cited today but is based on the idealization of the slave plantation.How much of the Modernist archive was canonized by union-busting bosses? How much of conceptual art in the 20th and 21st centuries has been buoyed by the reverence of scientific management? In this episode, Editor-in-chief Hrag Vartanian sits down to talk with Kim about her new volume, which challenges generations of unquestioned received knowledge and advocates for a new vision of art beyond cultural institutions. In the process, they discuss the craft of writing, how a White artist was counted as a Black artist at the 2014 Whitney Biennial, and how Marcel Duchamp got away with selling bags of air.Subscribe to Hyperallergic on Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.—Subscribe to Hyperallergic NewslettersBecome a member
The sports world may be on the edge of their seats as we draw close to the 2024 Olympics in Paris. But the “Olympics of the art world” is already well underway in Italy: Hundreds of thousands of art lovers are flocking to the Venice Biennale, which runs through November 24. This massive exhibition has been held every two years with very few exceptions since 1895, when it was inaugurated as the world's first art biennial. Visitors who devote a whole week of their time will still only be able to take in a sliver of the art on display, whether it's at the central exhibition, the collateral events, or the dozens of storied national pavilions in the Giardini and around the city. But that's not all the exhibition has in store. The politics of the art world are also on full display, whether in the form of protests or the curators' decisions about how their countries — with all their past and present controversies — will be represented. This year's included Russia offering its pavilion up to Indigenous artists from Bolivia, Brazil renaming its pavilion “Hãhãwpuá” after the Indigenous Patxohã term for the land, Poland welcoming an art collective from Ukraine, the United States featuring Jeffrey Gibson as the first Native American artist to have a solo exhibition at the pavilion, and Israel canceling its exhibition … which perhaps wasn't really canceled after all. Hyperallergic Editor-in-Chief Hrag Vartanian and longtime contributor AX Mina sat down to reflect on the aesthetic successes, political failures, and long-awaited representation they saw displayed at the world's biggest contemporary art show. Subscribe to Hyperallergic on Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.(00:00) - Intro (04:24) - First Impressions of the Biennale and the Main Exhibition (06:33) - India: Aravani Art Project (07:48) - Singapore: Charmaine Poh (08:58) - Lebanon: Omar Mismar (09:42) - “Italians Everywhere” (11:06) - Morocco: Bouchra Khalili (13:16) - The National Pavilions (14:21) - Benin Pavilion (16:12) - Lebanon Pavilion (18:19) - Italy Pavilion (20:14) - UK Pavilion (22:44) - US Pavilion (25:29) - Israel Pavilion (28:51) - Saudi Arabia Pavilion (30:07) - Nigeria Pavilion (32:11) - Egypt Pavilion (34:07) - Taiwan Pavilion (35:57) - Australia Pavilion (38:16) - Mongolia Pavilion (40:06) - “South West Bank,” collateral event (42:23) - Outro —Subscribe to Hyperallergic NewslettersBecome a member
Shelley Niro (Kanien'kehaka) grew up watching her father craft faux tomahawks to sell to tourists who flocked to her birthplace, Niagara Falls. In this episode of the Hyperallergic podcast, she reflects on how witnessing him create these objects planted the seeds for her brilliant multidisciplinary art practice spanning film, sculpture, beading, and photography. The National Museum of the American Indian in New York displayed a retrospective of her work titled Shelley Niro: 500 Year Itch, a traveling exhibit which will be on display next at the National Gallery of Canada, in Ottawa, Ontario. She joined us in our Brooklyn studio for an interview, where she reflected on growing up in the Six Nations of the Grand River, the Native artists she discovered on her dentist's wall but rarely encountered in a museum before the mid-'90s, and her latest obsession with 500 million-year-old fossils.The music and sound effects in this episode are from the films “Honey Moccasin” and “Tree” by Shelley Niro, courtesy of the artist. Subscribe to Hyperallergic on Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.(00:00) - Intro (03:02) - Beginnings of “500 Year Itch” Retrospective (04:18) - About “Honey Moccasin” (06:47) - Early Life (08:42) - The Six Nations of the Grand River (12:12) - Going to Art School and Native Representation in Museums (19:12) - Work in Painting (22:32) - Work in Photography (24:53) - On Niagara Falls (26:29) - History Behind Grand River Reserve (27:58) - The 1990s and Institutional Perspectives on Native American Art (31:12) - “Mohawks and Beehives” Series (34:51) - Why “500 Year Itch”? (39:47) - Art Schools Today (42:54) - Humor (47:27) - “In Her Lifetime” Series (49:57) - The Grand River (53:52) - Newest Works and Ancient Fossils (57:05) - Outro —Subscribe to Hyperallergic NewslettersBecome a member
Seriously though. When you're life is hyphenated, how do you put it altogether to live the life you want?Today we meet Natalie Cruz and we're talking about the book that saved her life: We Are All Armenian edited by Aram Mrjoian and featuring eighteen essayists.Natalie lives in Philly, is the managing editor of the Queer Armenian Library, teaches Art History at Camden County College, and is a PhD candidate at Temple University.We Are All Armenian brings together established and emerging Armenian authors to reflect on the complications of Armenian ethnic identity today. These personal essays elevate diasporic voices that have been historically silenced inside and outside of their communities, including queer, multiracial, and multiethnic writers. The eighteen contributors to this contemporary anthology explore issues of displacement, assimilation, inheritance, and broader definitions of home.Our BookshopVisit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbookTo purchase We Are All Armenian visit: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9781477326794Queer Armenian LibraryBookmark the Queer Armenian Library to view the art curation Natalie will provide: queerarmenianlibrary.comBecome an Associate Producer!Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbookCreditsHost/Founder: J.P. Der BoghossianExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsAssociate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Natalie Cruz, Jonathan Fried, Paul Kaefer, Nicole Olila, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, and Sean SmithPatreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, and Gary Nygaard.Permission to use a clip from Literary Lights provided by the International Armenian Literary AllianceCreative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy EricksonMusic and SFX credits: visit thiqueerbook.com/musicQuatrefoil LibraryQuatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1 Support the Show.
Anyone who remembers New York City's “golden age” of graffiti in the late '70s and early '80s knows about the lion spray-painted on the handball court at Corlears Junior High School, roaring next to metallic blue letters spelling the word “Lee.” In this episode of the Hyperallergic podcast, we speak with its creator, Lee Quiñones, whose paintings of dragons, lions, and Howard the Duck on over 120 MTA train cars were part of the movement that brought light and color to the otherwise dingy, dark, and drastically underfunded subway system. Quiñones's paintings caught the attention of art collectors and gallerists. By the time he was 19, he was showing his work at Galleria La Medusa in Rome, alongside fellow graffiti writer Fred Brathwaite, also known as “Fab 5 Freddy.” Among other writers, the following years would bring his graffiti art to more shows, both at home in New York City and in the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, and even Documenta 7 in 1982 in Kassel, Germany. Quiñones is the rare graffiti writer from this era who maintained a successful career in the gallery space. Today, he continues to experiment through paintings, drawings, and collages in an ever-changing range of styles. His art is in the collections of several major museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art. In this episode, Quiñones reflects on the monster movies that inspired him as a kid, running the tracks as a graffiti-writing teen, making art alongside Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Jenny Holzer in the 1980s East Village scene, and much more. He also discusses the new book documenting his life and work, Lee Quiñones: Fifty Years of New York Graffiti Art and Beyond, which was published by Damiani on April 30. A solo show of his recent work, titled Quinquagenary, will be on display at Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles until May 25, 2024. The music in this episode is courtesy of Soundstripe.Subscribe to Hyperallergic on Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else you listen to podcasts.(00:00) - Intro (03:04) - Early life and work (08:06) - Cinema (19:43) - “Howard the Duck” (27:17) - Lee is “WANTED” by the police (28:58) - “Lion's Den” (38:57) - The East Village scene (47:29) - “The buff” in the 80s (53:03) - The 21st century (57:00) - Outro —Subscribe to Hyperallergic NewslettersBecome a member
Since 2009, Hyperallergic has published tens of thousands of articles about art. But who are the writers behind these posts? And what drives them to write about art of all things?Many of the authors who have passed through our virtual hallways have gone on to do incredible things, including publishing books on topics that they first wrote about or more fully developed through articles in Hyperallergic. In 2022, we held an event called “From Blog to Book” at Brooklyn's pinkFrog cafe, where our Editor-in-Chief Hrag Vartanian asked three of our writers to tell us about the journeys that took them from 140-character tweets to 1,200-word posts to full manuscripts. Erin L. Thompson, who holds the title of America's only art crime professor, is the author of dozens of articles that brought looted artifacts from around the world to light. Her adventures have brought her from the Confederate monument etched into the side of Stone Mountain, Georgia, which she wrote about in Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments (2022), to a rededication ceremony of a repatriated object in Nepal.AX Mina, who wrote Memes to Movements: How the World's Most Viral Media Is Changing Social Protest and Power (2019), describes how they first explored the topic of memes in Hyperallergic — which they termed “the street art of the social web” before “meme” became the mainstream — and their function as a tool to circumvent internet censorship in China. And Michelle Young, author of Secret Brooklyn: An Unusual Guide (2023), tells us about her trajectory from working in fashion to playing in the band Kittens Ablaze to discovering so many hidden gems while aimlessly wandering the city she calls home that she founded the brilliant website Untapped New York. It was only in her time off reading World War 2 nonfiction that she found a new trail, which led her to uncover the stories of stolen Nazi loot. They'll reflect on finding focus by retreating to a mountaintop in China, unearthing the legacy of forgotten World War II heroes, and even seamlessly forging Picassos — which, as you'll hear in the show, is not nearly as hard as you'd think. The music in this episode is by Famous Cats and Cast Of Characters, courtesy of Soundstripe.—Subscribe to Hyperallergic NewslettersBecome a member
We are thrilled to be back with a new episode of the Hyperallergic podcast. For our one hundredth episode, we spoke with legendary collage and mixed media artist Tommy Lannigan-Schmidt. His works, made from crinkly saran wrap and tin foil, emulate the gleam of precious metals and jewels in Catholic iconography. They reference his upbringing as a working class kid and altar boy in a Catholic community in Linden, New Jersey, where tin foil was an expensive luxury they could rarely afford. But they also hold memories of where he found himself as a teenager: the LBGTQ+ street life and art community of New York City, which led to his participation in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. Lanigan-Schmidt is as much a visual artist as he is a storyteller. We climbed up to his fourth floor walk-up in Hell's Kitchen, where, surrounded by teetering piles of books and artwork, he regaled us with tales about artists like Jack Smith and Andy Warhol, his decision to leave his hometown as a penniless teenager, his steadfast identity as a working class artist, his conversion to Russian Orthodox Christianity, what changed for gay artists in New York between the 1960s and today, and of course, his recollection of that historic night at the Stonewall.We know you'll enjoy this artist's sparkling humor and singular vision as he shares reflections on his life and this critical moment in history.We also talked with Ann Bausum, author of Stonewall, Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights, about the significance of the uprising. She also shared some of her own first-hand recollections of segregation in 1960s America. The music in this episode was written by Garen Gueyikian, with the exception of one track by Dr. Delight, courtesy of Soundstripe. A selection of Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt's work will be on display at a show titled Open Hands: Crafting the Spiritual at Saint Louis University's Museum of Contemporary Religious Art until May 19, 2024. (00:00) - Intro (02:31) - Ann / Hrag (13:58) - Intro to Tommy (15:49) - Tommy / Hrag (01:30:05) - Outro Related Links:Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt's 2012-2013 solo show at MoMA PS1, Tender Love Among the JunkLanigan-Schmidt's work at Pavel Zoubok Fine ArtGay and Proud, the 1970 film which documented a demonstration on Christopher Street on the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, excerpted in this episode starting at 14:39Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights by Ann BausumWatch Flaming Creatures by Jack SmithDr. Wendy Schaller on Feast of St. Nicholas by Jan SteenAndy Warhol's portrait of Holly SolomonMario Banana, an Andy Warhol film with Mario Montez—Subscribe to Hyperallergic NewslettersBecome a member
In this episode of "The Truth in This Art", host Rob Lee interviews Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Hyperallergic. With expertise in contemporary art and its intersection with politics, Hrag shares insights on his journey as an art critic, curator, and lecturer. He talks about his founding of Hyperallergic in 2009 and how it has grown to reach over a million readers and listeners a month through its award-winning reporting, informed opinions, and quality conversations about art. Hrag also discusses his interest in decolonization and shares details about some of his notable curatorial projects, including the world's first multi-disciplinary exhibition of social media-related art. Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of the power of journalism and the cultural and economic realities that shape the world of art, culture, and politics. About HyperallergicHyperallergic is an online arts magazine, based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by the art critic Hrag Vartanian and his husband Veken Gueyikian in October 2009, the site describes itself as a "forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking".The Truth In This ArtThe Truth In This Art is a podcast interview series supporting vibrancy and development of Baltimore & beyond's arts and culture. To find more amazing stories from the artist and entrepreneurial scenes in & around Baltimore, check out my episode directory. Stay in TouchNewsletter sign-upSupport my podcastShareable link to episodeCreators & Guests Rob Lee - Host Hrag Vartanian - Guest Rob Lee & The Truth in This Art present "Summer of Soul"Attention all movie lovers and fans of "The Truth In This Art" podcast (www.thetruthinthisart.com)! Host Rob Lee is thrilled to partner with Pratt Library for a four-part Black Cinema series at Pratt Library from March through June 2023, starting with Thompson's 2022 Oscar-winning documentary, Summer of Soul. Summer of Soul reclaims the legacy of 1969's Harlem Cultural Festival, which promoted Black pride and culture with musical performances by Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, the Chambers Brothers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Sly & the Family Stone.Join Rob for a night of trivia and conversation as he breaks down movies connected to Black history, culture, music and cinema. The three other films in the series - all directed by Spike Lee - include The BlacKKKlansman (April 26), Do the Right Thing (May 25) and He Got Game (June 22). Thursday, March 9 at 5:30pm for more information and to secure tickets ★ Support this podcast ★
This episode of the pod kicks off with Lindsay, David, and Elisabeth reflecting on how artworks have changed (or reinforced) their perspectives on what art is, and whether or not Elisabeth is really “auditioning” for the role of co-host. Starting at about 9:00, guest Mary Louise Schumacher kicks off the conversation with a reflection about witnessing Milwaukee artist Roy Staab joyfully re-discovering his own artwork while watching it get destroyed in a storm. Throughout the conversation, Mary Louise shares about her trajectory from political and technology reporter to art critic, to director of the forthcoming documentary film, Out of the Picture. She reflects on how art critics draw on a much more “embodied” kind of writing than other more objective forms of journalism. Out of the Picture arose out of asking the question “what does it mean to write about art today?” Turning her camera on the interesting people in the art world who are writing about art, in the process Mary Louise and her team of collaborators ended up documenting extraordinary changes in visual culture and media. Since the beginning of the film, over the last ten years, 'Art” has evolved to include NFTs, social movements, memes and monuments, (oh my!) and visual culture shapes how we see the world more than ever. Out of the Picture raises questions including: how are power and privilege conferred on voices within the art world? And the question of how precious the work of art criticism actually is. Mary Louise also reflects on how the simultaneous openness, intimacy, and obscurity of the Milwaukee art scene promotes a special kind of artistic thriving, and periods of richness within our arts ecosystem. She closes with a fantasy edict to instate an Arts & Culture Administrator for the City of Milwaukee to help Art to be more valued in our community. Instagram: @Marylouises Due to the unprecedented number of shout-outs contained in this episode, we decided to do our best to represent all of the individuals and entities. Please enjoy the following absurdly long list of links: : https://www.outofthepicturemovie.com/ (Out of the Picture) https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=Ue4q0Twd_So&feature=emb_logo (Sunset Theatre by Sarah Gail Luther) https://okmke.org/ (Open Kitchen) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_Belle_(Staab) (Nature Bell by Roy Staab) https://mam.org/info/quadracci.php (The Quadracci Pavillion) https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholaslujero/ (Nicholas Lujero) https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-eggert-johnson/?trk=org-employees&originalSubdomain=be (Cindy Eggert Johnson) https://www.markescribano.com/ (Mark Escribano) https://www.thisismilwaukee.us/johnathonolsen (Jonathan Olson) https://www.corridorfilm.com/ (Corridor the film) http://katieavilastudio.com/ (Katie Avila Loughmiller) http://www.naomiwaxman.com/resume (Naomi Waxman) https://www.lyndensculpturegarden.org/residency/pegi-christiansen-distance (Pegi Taylor Christiansen) https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-heil-a75b821a/ (Katie Heil) https://www.jasper-johns.org/ (Jasper Johns) https://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/ (Robert Rauschenberg) https://latoyarubyfrazier.com/ (LaToya Ruby Frazier) https://whitecube.com/artists/artist/doris_salcedo (Doris Salcedo) https://www.hankwillisthomas.com/ (Hank Willis Thomas) http://postcommodity.com/About.html (The Post Commodity Collective) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Saltz (Jerry Saltz) https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-graves-96bb123/ (Jen Graves) https://www.bostonglobe.com/about/staff-list/staff/jenee-osterheldt/ (Jenee Osterheldt) https://hragvartanian.com/ (Hrag Vartanian) https://genreurbanarts.com/ (Genre Urban Arts) ...
One of our longer episodes, and every minute is FILLED TO THE BRIM! Erika and Alexis talk to Hrag Vartanian, the founder and editor in chief of Hyperallergic. A continuation of our series on motivation, Hrag discusses journalism, the art world we need to be focusing on, why Hyperallergic exists, and who's subsidizing who! We go through who got PPPs and Alexis's Tumblr glory days. This is an instant classic. TUNE IN AND GAIN KNOWLEDGE! HRAG RECOMMENDS: Documentary: Manufacturing Consent (1992) Documentary: Camera Person (2016) LOCATE YOUR HOSTS UPON THE INTERNET Hrag Vartanian - @hragv, hyperallergic.com Alexis Hyde - @hydeordie, alexishyde.com Dr. Erika Wong; - @topractiseapractice, www.practise-practice.com Slack channel: topractiseapractice.slack.com Email us: hydeorpractise@gmail.com Music by Cheap TV - @cheaptv_official, https://cheaptvmusic.com/
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 25, 2021 is: hagiography hag-ee-AH-gruh-fee noun 1 : biography of saints or venerated persons 2 : idealizing or idolizing biography Examples: "Music documentaries can veer into hagiography. That's not this story. It goes up and down, with constant left turns and surprises you don't expect." — Edgar Wright, quoted in The Houston Chronicle, 16 June 2021 "Hemingway, Ken Burns and Lynn Novick's latest PBS series, is a hagiography of one of the most popular writers of the 20th century, the tale of a man whose writing, image, and life were regularly the stuff of gossip, jealousy, admiration, and legend" — Hrag Vartanian, Hyperallergic, 15 Apr. 2021 Did you know? Like biography and autograph, the word hagiography has to do with the written word. The combining form -graphy comes from Greek graphein, meaning "to write." Hagio- comes from a Greek word that means "saintly" or "holy." This origin is seen in Hagiographa, the Greek designation of the Ketuvim, the third part of the Jewish Scriptures. English's hagiography, though it can refer to biography of actual saints, is these days more often applied to biography that treats ordinary human subjects as if they were saints.
Welcome to Episode 13! Erika and Alexis talk to Hrag Vartanian, the founder and editor in chief of Hyperallergic. A continuation of our series on motivation, Hrag discusses journalism, the art world we need to be focusing on, why Hyperallergic exists, and who's subsidizing who! We go through who got PPPs and Alexis's Tumblr glory days. This is an instant classic. TUNE IN AND GAIN KNOWLEDGE! HRAG RECOMMENDS: Documentary: Manufacturing Consent (1992) Documentary: Camera Person (2016) LOCATE YOUR HOSTS UPON THE INTERNET Hrag Vartanian - @hragv, hyperallergic.com Alexis Hyde - @hydeordie, alexishyde.com Dr. Erika Wong; - @topractiseapractice, www.practise-practice.com Slack channel: topractiseapractice.slack.com Email us: hydeorpractise@gmail.com Music by Cheap TV - @cheaptv_official, https://cheaptvmusic.com/
Conversations with contributors to the book: Artist as Culture Producer Today’s conversations expand on the definition of the word ‘artist.’’ During Miami Art Week, artist and educator Sharon Louden, with her frequent collaborator Hrag Vartanian, Hyperallergic, introduce the second book in Louden’s trilogy dedicated to Living and Sustaining a Creative Life. Inside New York’s Strand Bookstore, we meet a few of the artists who contributed essays to The Artist as Culture Producer. In their first-hand stories, they share the personal and professional value of creativity. We recorded this episode inside the tent of Untitled art fair during Miami Art Week, and at the Strand Bookstore in New York, we catch up with a few of the artist contributors. In their first-hand stories, we hear the personal and professional value of expanding the practice of contemporary art. Related episodes: Andrea Bowers, Mark Bradford, Brigada Puerta de Tierra, Theaster Gates, Marinella Senatore, Koki Tanaka. Related Links: Chloe Bass Michael Scoggins Shinique SmithBrett Wallace
Hrag Vartanian is the Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of Hyperallergic An appeal Please consider supporting the show. I can't do this for much longer unless I can at least hit my goal of $1500 a month. (That literally would give me enough for rent + $300). Right now, I make less than a third of that and it's unsustainable. I also have a Gofundme You can also donate directly with Venmo or Paypal. Links on the homepage, eastpodcast.com
Two Old Bitches: Stories from Women who Reimagine, Reinvent and Rebel
“I didn't want to brag but I did want to impress on you that I'm probably the biggest bitch you've ever encountered!” Who else but Hrag Vartanian could help us to break through another boundary? Our guest for this episode of TOB is our first self-identified, ‘biggest bitch’ you’ve ever encountered’ man. We spent nearly two thought-provoking, hilarity-inducing and adoration-filled hours with the 45-year old Hrag. His identities are multitudinous, ranging from writer, curator, critic, artist, culture vulture, Syrian-Armenian-Canadian and – highly treasured – New Yorker. His accomplishments are also numerous, as the co-creator (with his husband) and editor –in-chief of Hyperallergic, the heralded on-line forum for arts, culture and politics that now reaches more than a million readers. Hrag’s insights into conquering FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), friendship (with TOB guest and artist Sharon Louden), intersectional feminism and art’s discontents kept us riveted. And his reflection that “we all become our own mentors eventually” left us comforted. So have a listen, laugh along and become a Hyperallergic subscriber. You’ll be so glad you did!
Time for our annual round table chat with three experts from different parts of the art world. The roster includes Hrag Vartanian, editor of the popular arts and culture website Hyperallergic, Philbrook Director Scott Stulen, and artist Sharon Louden who is currently putting the finishing touches on a brand new installation in the Philbrook Rotunda. The installation will be on view through the rest of 2019.
I Like Your Work: Conversations with Artists, Curators & Collectors
I had the incredible fortune to meet up with Sharon Louden in Queens a couple of weeks ago to talk about her work and I had such a wonderful time! Sharon is an artist, educator, advocate for artists, editor of the Living and Sustaining a Creative Life series of books and the Artistic Director of the Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution. In this interview, we talk about her work, sharing opportunities, and her new opportunity that she is sharing as the artistic director of the visual arts at Chautauqua Institution. The School of Art at Chautauqua is an incubator of inclusive and expansive programming in the visual arts composed of classes, workshops and one-on-one time with mentors covering all media. https://www.sharonlouden.com/bio/ Sharon Louden: https://www.sharonlouden.com/ Sharon Louden Live Sustain: https://www.livesustain.org/ Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artists https://www.livesustain.org/essays-by-40-working-artists The Artist as Culture Producer: Living and Sustaining a Creative Life https://www.livesustain.org/artist-as-culture-producer Hrag Vartanian: www.hragvartananian.com Two Old Bitches Podcast: www.twooldbitches.com Jean Shin: www.Jeanshin.com Chautauqua: www.art.chq.org Colleen Kelsey: www.https://www.colleenkelseyart.com/ Mel Prest: http://www.melprest.com/ Wyoming Arts Council: https://wyoarts.state.wy.us/ Bridgette Mayer Coaching: http://bridgettemayer.com/ The Art Cure: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Cure-Memoir-Abuse-Fortune/dp/1619614987 Bridgette Mayer Gallery: http://www.bridgettemayergallery.com/ Bridgette Mayer Consulting: http://www.bridgettemayerartadvisors.com/ Eps 16 Bridgette Mayer: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/eps-16-gallerist-entrepreneur-bridget-mayer-not-giving/id1436361262?i=1000426657420&mt=2 Eps 3 Kerri Ammirata: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/eps-3-artist-kerri-ammirata-finding-your-center-in/id1436361262?i=1000420702041&mt=2 Podcast Page: https://www.erikabhess.com/ilikeyourworkpodcast
Last week's clash between U.S. law enforcement and Central American migrants along the border with Mexico took place thousands of miles from New York. But the controversy surrounding the conflict found its way to New York City through an unlikely place: the Whitney Museum. Two days after the event, the arts news site Hyperallergic reported that Warren B. Kanders, one of the museum’s top board members, owns Safariland, the company that made the tear gas used on the border. In response to the news, more than 100 staffers at the museum wrote a letter demanding answers about Kanders and his business, which prompted responses from both him and the museum's director, Adam Weinberg. The controversy has led to criticism of the Whitney and restarted a conversation about the role of money in the arts, especially when it comes from donors that people disagree with. This week on Money Talking, Charlie Herman discusses the issue with Robin Pogrebin, reporter for the Culture Desk at The New York Times, and Hrag Vartanian, editor-in-chief of Hyperallergic.
Hyperallergic's editor-in-chief Hrag Vartanian talks to Ford Foundation President Darren Walker about the public's interest in scrutinizing institutional authority, Walker's own love of art, and the renovations at the Foundation's building, and also discussed Agnes Gund's new Art for Justice fund, the role of the arts for marginalized communities, and the importance of public education. The music featured in this episode was “Give it Your Choir” by Mark Pritchard from Warp Records. You can hear more from his latest release “Under the Sun” at http://markprtchrd.com and find more great music from Warp Records at http://warp.net.
Tyler Professor Gerard Brown leads a panel discussion with Sharon Louden, Hrag Vartanian, and Deana Haggag covering a range of topics, including: Identifying and communicating assets and skills common to the artists studio practice that are useful to mean of creating value for industrial partners. These assets include, among others, the capacity to utilize failure productively, and cultural reciprocity, an acute awareness of the use of cultural exchange for growth. The inherently collaborative nature of artistic disciplines in contrast to myths of individual, autonomous creative work. The ways in which artists, who routinely produce something from nothing, can contribute to the discussion of quantifying success. Sharon Louden is an artist, educator, advocate for artists, and editor of the Living and Sustaining a Creative Life series of books including The Artist as Culture Producer. Hrag Vartanian is editor-in-chief and co-founder of Hyperallergic, a publication he created in 2009 in response to the changes in the art world, publishing, and thedistribution of information. Deana Haggag has been the Executive Director of The Contemporary, a nomadic and non-collecting art museum based in Baltimore, MD, since the spring of 2013. If you are interested in Sharon's book, you can find it here.
Sharon Louden artist and educator and Hrag Vartanian, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the online art publication Hyperallergic, talk about Louden's newest book project: The Artist as Culture Producer. Forty visual artists contributed essays to the four hundred page publication. These individuals model some of the ways that culture makers of the 21st century are enriching creative economies around the world. Their first-hand stories may inspire more of us to take on new roles in the public realm, to engage more deeply in our communities. Sound Editor: Guney Ozsan
Artists Marilyn Minter and Xaviera Simmons both have solo shows up in New York this month. We invited them to chat with Hyperallergic's editor-in-chief Hrag Vartanian about sex, art, gender inequality, Planned Parenthood, and the election.
Hyperallergic's Editor-in-chief Hrag Vartanian speaks to mega-collector Don Rubell of the Rubell Family Collection about decades of collecting and establishing one of the biggest collections of contemporary art in the world.
Why were women excluded from the art movement that has come to represent some of the best of 20th century American art? The answer may be rather complicated and Hyperallergic’s editor-in-chief Hrag Vartanian interviews “Women Of Abstract Expressionism” exhibition curator Gwen Chanzit, Abstract Expressionism artist Judith Godwin, feminist art historian Linda Nochlin, and critic/curator Karen Wilkin to understand the issue.
Our inaugural podcast sends our editor-in-chief Hrag Vartanian to Morocco to visit the 6th Marrakech Biennial curated by Reem Fadda. There are interviews with the curator and artists Haig Aivazian (Lebanon) and Dineo Seshee Bopape (South Africa), as well as discussions of Superflex’s “Kwassa Kwassa” and Khaled Malas’ "Windmill in Eastern Ghouta (Syria).”
Part group therapy, part a discussion about art, artist and gentrification, Dr. Lisa was thrilled that Hrag requested this follow up session so the whole group could go deeper. And thanks for the cupcakes Christopher!
Dr. Lisa talks gentrification, artist, the concept of colonialism and finding out if everyone's comfortable with Hrag Vartanian of Hyperallergic, Christopher Stout of Bushwick Art Crit Group and gentrification activist, Anthony Rosado.
Hrag Vartanian of Hyperallergic describes his trip to LA for a series of art fairs including the LA Art Book Fair and ArtLA Contemporary; James Tarmy of Bloomberg and Brian Boucher from Artnet News talk about the New York Old Master sales.
This week: Hyperallergic founder Hrag Vartanian live from NADA. Hyperallergic is a forum for serious, playful and radical thinking about art in the world today. Created by husband-and-husband team, Veken Gueyikian and Hrag Vartanian, Hyperallergic officially launched on October 14, 2009. It combines the best of art blog and magazine culture by focusing on publishing quality and engaging writing and images from informed and provocative perspectives. The site was the winner of Best Art Blog at the 2011 Art & Reality Conference in St. Petersburg, Russia. In 2011 alone, Hyperallergic was featured on major media outlets around the world, including television stations, like Al Jazeera, radio stations, like WNYC and 97X, newspapers, like New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, The Art Newspaper, Poland’s Onet Wiadomości, Hungary’s Origo and Israel’s Ynet.co.il, magazines and journals like The Nation, Art News, Italy’s Internazionale, The Brooklyn Rail, and not to mention dozens of websites, including Boing Boing, Kottke, Andrew Sullivan, Felix Salmon, CNN.com, Huffington Post, Memeorandum, Gothamist, Gawker, Kotaku, FoxNews.com, NBCSports.com, PSFK, Brooklyn365 and The Stranger’s Slog. Hyperallergic also publishes a Weekend edition edited by leading writers and journalists. It offers a closer look at issues in art, books, films, theatre, dance and music. In addition to the blogazine, our fast-growing Hyperallergic LABS is one of the largest art blogs on Tumblr. It is a visual laboratory that explores weekly themes through art and mines the internet for images, memes, quotes, links and videos. LABS is an online experiment that welcomes public submissions for its Talk Back Tuesday feature every Tuesday and its Events Thursday feature every Thursday. To submit content, visit hyperallergic.tumblr.com/submit The Hyperallergic Podcast, known as Hyperallergic TV, features video & audio discussions of art, exhibitions, trends, the art blogosphere, and issues facing the art world. Hyperallergic TV is also available on iTunes. The Hyperallergic Newsletter is sent out weekly and includes a letter from the editor with a recap of the most popular and important stories from the week. (Subscribe here) Newsletter subscribers also get first dibs on Hyperallergic events, that include discussions, parties, screenings and performances.