Art Sense

A conversation with artist Tony Cragg. Known for his dynamic, often swirling forms that push the boundaries of material and movement, Cragg’s work is a testament to the endless possibilities of sculpture. His innovative use of materials, including bronze, steel, plywood, glass and a variety of synthetic compounds, allows him to explore and express complex forms that make reference to nature, science, and the intrinsic properties of the objects that surround us. The conversation touches on a variety of topics, including process, materials and inspirations. https://www.tony-cragg.com/ https://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/37-tony-cragg/

A conversation with artist Rick Lowe. Renowned for his pioneering work with Project Row Houses in Houston, Lowe's creative endeavors have reshaped the landscape of contemporary art and in 2014 earned him a MacArthur Fellowship. In our conversation, we explore the concept of social sculpture and its ability to transcend traditional art boundaries to catalyze societal transformation. We also explore Lowe's personal evolution, including his celebrated return to painting and his current exhibit in Venice. https://www.ricklowe.com/ https://gagosian.com/artists/rick-lowe/ https://gagosian.com/news/museum-exhibitions/rick-lowe-the-arch-within-the-arc-museo-di-palazzo-grimani-venice/ https://projectrowhouses.org/ https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2014/rick-lowe

A conversation with author Mark Polizzotti about his new book Why Surrealism Matters which chronicles the philosophies and milestones of the iconic 20th century movement. In the conversation, Mark describes the lasting impact that the Surrealists’ world view has had on societies worldwide, as well as its ability to transform minds still today. https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300257090/why-surrealism-matters/ https://www.amazon.com/Why-Surrealism-Matters-ebook/dp/B0CRHDFF1R

A conversation with Katarina Feder, Vice President and Director Of Business Development at Artists Rights Society, an organization which has spent more than 35 years guiding artists through the often obscure realm of copyright and intellectual property matters by providing licensing expertise, legal support, advocacy, and educational outreach. ARS works on behalf of artists to manage the licensing of works of art for editorial and commercial purposes with museums, auction houses, scholars, publishers, galleries, ad agencies, production companies, and other educational and commercial entities. In addition to her role at ARS, Katarina is also Co-Founder and CEO of ARSNL which focuses on artist licensing for the blockchain. https://arsny.com/ https://arsnl.art/

A conversation with Lissa McClure, Executive Director of the Woodman Family Foundation about the life and work of Francesca Woodman and her organization’s new partnership with Gagosian Gallery to represent Woodman’s work beginning with an exhibition at Gagosian’s 555 West 24th Street location in New York which opens March 13. In the conversation, Lissa discusses Woodman’s prodigious work, her fondness for allegory, her fascination with surrealism, and the legacy that the organization is focused on preserving and growing. https://woodmanfoundation.org/ https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2024/francesca-woodman/

A conversation with Frances Beatty, Managing Director of the Ray Johnson Estate. Known for his masterful use of collage, Johnson was a key figure in the ‘50s Pop Art scene, as well as a pioneer in the areas of conceptualism, performance art and mail art. Beatty takes time to discuss Ray Johnson’s colorful life and the impact that he had on the art icons and everyday people in his social network. No longer overlooked, Johnson has become a popular subject of academic research whose stature in the canon of 20th Century art history continues to grow.

A conversation with British artist Sarah Ball on the eve of her first solo show in New York at Stephen Friedman Gallery. The conversation explores the evolution of her images, the growing scale of her work, her refined surfaces and the inspirations for her ambiguously complicated portraits. The new exhibition, titled “Tilted”, features large scale paintings which explore notions of dandyism in the 21st century. https://www.stephenfriedman.com/exhibitions/184-sarah-ball-tilted-new-york/ https://www.sarah-ball.co.uk/

A conversation with Tony Karman, Founder, President and Director of EXPO CHICAGO. One of the top international art fairs, EXPO CHICAGO has become a key date on the art fair calendar by welcoming collectors, curators and museum directors from around the globe to Chicago’s Navy Pier during the second week of April. In 2023, Frieze acquired the art fair along with the Armory Show with no plans for rebranding either. In the conversation, Tony talks about what makes EXPO CHICAGO unique, the strength of the Chicago arts community and the logistical challenges of executing an event of its size and scope.

Art Sense welcomes back professor, entrepreneur and author Magnus Resch to discuss his latest book “How to Collect Art”. In his latest work, Resch provides a detailed playbook for aspiring art collectors who are eager to start a collection, but have little or no knowledge of galleries, auctions, art fairs or art advisors.

A conversation with artist James Welling whose most recent photographs will be featured in an exhibition titled Thought Objects at David Zwirner’s 533 West 19th Street location in New York January 11 - February 10. Welling has long challenged traditional ideas of what photography can be. In this latest work, he continues this pursuit by utilizing digital tools in unconventional ways to create works that avoid categorization. https://www.davidzwirner.com/exhibitions/2024/james-welling-thought-objects/press-release https://www.davidzwirner.com/artists/james-welling https://jameswelling.net/

A conversation with author Paul Thomas Murphy about his new book “Falling Rocket: James Whistler, John Ruskin, and the Battle for Modern Art”. The subject of the book is a landmark libel suit from 1878 that pitted the artist Whistler versus the most authoritative art critic of his time. Ruskin had taken issue with a number of groundbreaking Whistler paintings which captured London by night, claiming them devoid of artistic merit and Whistler a fraud. The book illuminates the decade leading up to the trial, the events of the litigation, and the aftermath of the jury’s judgment. https://www.amazon.com/Falling-Rocket-Whistler-Ruskin-Battle/dp/1639364919 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Falling-Rocket/Paul-Thomas-Murphy/9781639364916 https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1540370.Paul_Thomas_Murphy

A conversation with renowned Spanish sculptor Cristina Iglesias. Iglesias is known for her immersive and poetic installations that blend organic forms with architectural elements to create spaces that invite viewers to engage with notions of memory and imagination. Her latest exhibit, titled Ellipsis, is up now through January 27 at Marian Goodman’s Los Angeles gallery. https://www.mariangoodman.com/exhibitions/538-cristina-iglesias-ellipsis/ https://cristinaiglesias.com/

A panel discussion Craig led on December 12, 2023 which was hosted by the National Arts Club. The topic of the discussion was “The Art of Digital Manipulation”. In particular, the use of large data sets and custom programs in the development of fine art and the ever-evolving influence of artificial intelligence. Craig was lucky to be joined by pioneering artist Jason Salavon who has spent decades working in the field of generative art and the use of complex systems of data mining to create works that are an uncanny reflection of our society. The National Arts Club Jason Salavon

A conversation with documentary filmmaker Sophie Chahinian whose Artist Profile Archive features one-on-one conversations and footage from the studios of some of the most iconic artists of our time, including the likes of David Salle, Yinka Shonibare, Charles Gaines and Shirin Neshat. https://www.theartistprofilearchive.com/ Lita Albuquerque Alice Aycock Troy Brauntuch Chuck Close Eric Fischl Charles Gaines April Gornik Dan Graham Alexandra Grant David Hepher Sheree Hovsepian Virginia Jaramillo Jon Kessler Robert Longo Ed Moses Shirin Neshat Arcmanoro Niles Angel Otero Carol Peligian Alexis Rockman David Salle Bastienne Schmidt Joel Shapiro Peter Shelton Peter Shire Yinka Shonibare Gary Simmons Ned Smyth Marnie Weber James Welling Letha Wilson Manoucher Yektai

A conversation with artist Samuel Levi Jones. Jones’ work addresses the lack of African American representation in a variety of historical texts by deconstructing and reconstructing such books into large-scale canvases. In addition to painting and sculpture, Jones has been working to create a space for reconciliation, unity, and cross-cultural understanding in his childhood hometown of Marion, Indiana which is still dealing with the impact of a lynching which occurred over 90 years ago. https://www.samuellevijones.com/ https://www.galerielelong.com/artists/samuel-levi-jones https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/exhibitions/dress-rehearsal-chicago-architecture-biennial-2023

A conversation with Pace Gallery CEO Marc Glimcher about the gallery’s current Picasso exhibit which honors the artist on the 50th anniversary of his passing. The exhibit, titled “Picasso: 14 Sketchbooks”, is just that - fourteen sketchbooks that provide unrivaled insights into the development of iconic Picasso artworks over a period of nearly sixty years. https://www.pacegallery.com/exhibitions/picasso-14-sketchbooks/ https://www.fabarte.org/es/

A conversation with Silvia Karman Cubiñá, Executive Director and Chief Curator of The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach. As Miami Beach’s contemporary art museum, The Bass organizes exhibits for its historical art deco building by collaborating with leading artists from around the world on commissioned additions to its collection. As The Bass approaches its 60th anniversary, Silvia takes time to outline what makes The Bass unique, the opportunities the museum has to engage with its community and plans for a new structure. https://thebass.org/ https://www.instagram.com/TheBassMoA/

A conversation with artist Derek Fordjour about his paintings, sculptures and installations that raise questions of race, identity, and inequality. Derek discusses the journey from his youth as the son of immigrants in Memphis to the inner sanctum of the art world. He also talks about his new show titled "SCORE" opening November 10 at Petzel Gallery in New York. Like his 2020 "SELF MUST DIE" exhibit at Petzel, "SCORE" transforms the exhibit space and utilizes performance to push the bounds of what we think of as a gallery exhibit. https://www.petzel.com/exhibitions/derek-fordjour2 https://www.instagram.com/fordjourstudio/?hl=en

A conversation with legendary guerrilla poster artist Robbie Conal about decades of activism by the dark of night. Conal’s signature style combines grotesque and satirical grayscale portraits of U.S. political figures paired with clever, hard-hitting text. His poster’s have become part of the American urban landscape and the original paintings that serve as the basis for the prints have found homes in some of the country’s most prized collections. His latest exhibition titled “Raw: Work in Process” is up now through November 4 at Track 16 Gallery in downtown Los Angeles. https://www.track16.com/robbie-conal-raw-work-in-process https://robbieconal.myshopify.com/

A conversation with artist Sarah Cunnningham about her vibrant paintings that teeter on the edge of landscape and abstraction. Sarah recently wrapped up her first solo show at Lisson Gallery in London. That exhibition titled "The Crystal Forest" utilizes saturated colors and bold brushstrokes to invite viewers into spaces inspired by ecology, literature and a sense of interconnectedness. https://www.lissongallery.com/artists/sarah-cunningham