Everything Is Connected

On this episode I’m joined by Bisa Butler. We discuss her pivot from painting to quilting, what it was like for her to study at an HBCU, she earned her BFA in Painting at Howard University, how that experience shaped her and what she hopes her work does in the world. Bisa talks about her recent exhibition Hold Me Close that was previously on view at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in LA. Bisa Butler (b. 1973) lives and works in New Jersey. She earned her BFA in Painting at Howard University and holds a MA in Teaching Art from Montclair State University. In 2020, Portraits at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Katonah Museum of Art was the artist’s first institutional solo exhibition. Her quilts were prominently featured in Black American Portrait at LACMA, Los Angeles (2022) and Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2021), and graced the cover of both exhibition catalogs. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of several institutions, including Art Institute of Chicago; The Smithsonian American Museum of Art; The Pérez Art Museum, Miami; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; MFA Houston; and de Young Museum, San Francisco. Butler is the recipient of the 2022 Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship and of the inaugural “Faith in The Arts Award,” presented by Broadway Housing Communities in recognition of the legacy of Faith Ringgold. The World Is Yours, Butler’s first exhibition with Jeffrey Deitch in New York in 2023, attracted thousands of visitors. Hold Me Close is the artist’s first solo exhibition in Los Angeles. --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe Website - Sign up for the Light Work newsletter Follow Light Work on Instagram Follow Folasade Ologundudu on Instagram YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel

On this episode I’m joined by Rashaad Newsome as we discuss his film Assembly. The documentary details the personal journey and events that inspired his 2022 Park Avenue Armory installation. I was fortunate to attend a final performance, thanks to my ARTNOIR family, and was captivated by Rashaad's immersive world. Shoutout to ART NOIR! I especially loved the dances and spoken word segments, which highlighted the participatory nature of his work. The film honestly reveals how compelling personal narratives are. Rashaad and I discuss these personal aspects, including his family history, struggles, and experience as a Black queer artist. Dr. Rashaad Newsome's multifaceted work blends filmmaking, animation, robotics, performance, and more, challenging traditional narratives. Drawing from diasporic improvisation, he incorporates advertising, art history, and Black and Queer culture to create counter-hegemonic works that oscillate between social practice and abstraction. --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe Website - Sign up for the Light Work newsletter Follow Light Work on Instagram Follow Folasade Ologundudu on Instagram YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel

On this episode I’m joined by Salome Asega. Salome and I discuss her journey from working at the Ford Foundation to returning to a more intimate engagement with artists at New Inc. We cover the importance of alternative spaces for artists, how New Inc supports interdisciplinary creators, and the impact of geopolitical tensions on creative communities. And the significance of teaching, community, and place-based work, emphasizing the need for genuine engagement and collaboration. Salome Asega is the Director of NEW INC, the New Museum's cultural incubator for creative practitioners working across art, design, and technology. Asega is also an artist, researcher, and educator working between participatory design and emerging technologies. --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe Website - Sign up for the Light Work newsletter Follow Light Work on Instagram Follow Folasade Ologundudu on Instagram YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel

On this episode I’m joined by Kennedy Yanko as we discuss her recent artistic endeavors, working with paper pulp prints which are on view in her latest exhibition at Pace Prints now through Oct 4th. Kennedy shares the joy of returning to immediate, experimental creation, reminiscent of her earlier abstract expressionist paintings. She reflects on her 20-year journey as an artist, acknowledging the challenges and growth that have shaped her current practice. Kennedy and I have been in each other’s orbit for several years watching each other grow and develop our respective practices. I had the pleasure of writing about her work for the Brooklyn Rail 4 years ago, so it’s really a full circle moment and a moment to reflect on what’s happened and how much growth we’ve both experienced since that time. In the episode we also talk about the importance of maintaining a spiritual practice and being open to the ebbs and flows of life’s natural movements. --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe Website - Sign up for the Light Work newsletter https://lightworkco.com/ Instagram - Follow Light Work on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco

On this episode I’m joined by Michelle Kuo, Chief Curator at Large and Publisher, of the MoMA, as we discuss Jack Whitten: The Messenger, the first comprehensive retrospective dedicated to the groundbreaking art of Jack Whitten (American, 1939–2018). The exhibition showcased more than 175 works from the 1960s to the 2010s, including paintings, sculptures, rarely shown works on paper, and archival materials to explore the depth and breadth of Whitten’s near six-decade career. The show was critically acclaimed, and emotionally impactful. In the episode, Kuo describes the collaborative and intensive five-year process involved in curating the exhibition, highlighting Whitten’s innovative approaches to art, his engagement with technology, and the deep emotional and historical context in his work. As Kuo describes Whitten's work alongside canonical figures such as Rothko, Picasso, and Mondrian, she more importantly references the ways in which he reconfigured art history and the abstract expressionist movement with the use of new tools and techniques. Whitten’s oeuvre is marked by a courageous and uncompromising vision to resist the pressures of conformity, and instead carve his own path through abstraction. This episode emphasizes Whitten’s visionary nature and the lasting legacy of his art, which continues to inspire and move audiences. --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe Website - Sign up for the Light Work newsletter https://lightworkco.com/ Instagram - Follow Light Work on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco

On this episode I’m joined by Brice Yonkeu as we discuss his career in the arts. With a background in political science, Brice transitioned to the arts, seeking to make a more relevant contribution to culture. In this episode, he shares his experiences over the past years working in the arts, from opening his own gallery, Bwo Art Gallery in Cameroon, to participating in Amoako Boafo’s residency, dot.ateliers, as the first curator in residence, and showcasing his latest exhibition, a continuation of the show he presented at dot.aterliers upon completion of the residence, on view at Gagosian through August 8. The exhibition, Ever So Present II: Between Home and Elsewhere, brings together the work of four contemporary African artists, Luke Agada, Amoako Boafo, Josèfa Ntjam, and Emma Prempeh, to explore themes of displacement, migration, and the tension between memory and reality. Brice reflects on his transition into art curation, and underscores the importance of presenting complex and rich contemporary African art practices. He also recounts his journey into the art field, and the necessity of creating spaces for African artists to showcase their heritage and contributions to global cultural production and ingenuity. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE Website - Sign up for my newsletter https://lightworkco.com/ Instagram - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco

On this episode I’m joined by Hugh Hayden as we discuss his newly commissioned work presented for 16 edition of the Sharjah Biennial, elucidated through the curatorial theme, to carry. Asking questions such as, what does it mean to carry a home, a history, a language, a legacy, and a lineage. Hugh Hayden was born in Dallas, Texas in 1983 and lives and works in New York City. He holds an MFA from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University. Hugh Hayden’s practice considers the anthropomorphization of the natural world as a visceral lens for exploring the human condition. Hayden transforms familiar objects through a process of selection, carving and juxtaposing to challenge our perceptions of ourselves, others and the environment. Raised in Texas and trained as an architect, his work arises from a deep connection to nature and its organic materials. Hayden utilizes wood as his primary medium, frequently loaded with multi-layered histories in their origin, including objects as varied as discarded trunks, rare indigenous timbers, Christmas trees or souvenir African sculptures. In this episode Hugh reflects on his observations on cultural diversity and geographical differences, comparing the US's peripheral status to the vibrant, multicultural hub of Sharjah and the UAE, while emphasizing adaptability and cultural engagement. The discussion delves into how different environments influence his work. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE Website - Sign up for my newsletter https://lightworkco.com/ Instagram - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco

On this episode I’m joined by Cassi Namoda as we discuss her newly commissioned work presented for 16 edition of the Sharjah Biennial, elucidated through the curatorial theme, to carry. Asking questions such as, what does it mean to carry a home, a history, a language, a legacy, and a lineage. Born in Maputo, Mozambique, Cassi Namoda is known for her strong colour palette and narrative approach to painting. Her hybrid narratives are at once wondrous and poignant, everyday and fantastical, archival and current. Cassi’s work transfigures the cultural mythologies and historical narratives of life in post-colonial Africa, particularly those of the artist’s familial home of Mozambique. The idiosyncratic subjects who appear and reappear in her paintings also convey this hybridity: they emerge from African indigenous religions just as much as they spring from Western mythologies. Cassi’s work is held in the collections of the Pérez Art Museum Miami, Miami; Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore; MACAAL, Marrakesh; and The Studio Museum; New York. In the episode, discusses her evolving body of work, including paintings that originated at the Joseph and Annie Albers residency in Connecticut that connect to her current paintings on view for the Sharjah Biennial 16. In the works, she explores themes of climate change and matriarchal societies, while emphasizing the holistic interconnectedness of her art and life. She also reflects on the importance of preserving ancestral knowledge and matriarchal wisdom, the role of women in society, and how her experiences as a mother influence her artistic practice. The conversation underscores the interconnected nature of life and art, advocating for self-attunement and holistic living. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE Website - Sign up for my newsletter https://lightworkco.com/ Instagram - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco

On this episode I’m joined by Luke Willis Thompson as we discuss his newly commissioned work presented for 16 edition of the Sharjah Biennial, elucidated through the curatorial theme, to carry. Asking questions such as what does it mean to carry a home, a history, a language, a legacy, and a lineage. Luke Willis Thompson is a New Zealand artist of Fijian and European descent, currently working primarily in film and across performance, installation and sculpture to tackle traumatic histories of class, racial and social inequality, institutional violence, colonialism and forced migration. In this episode, Luke discusses his newly commissioned film, Whakamoemoeā. Set in 2040, it's a fictional state broadcast, where a woman delivering a monologue announces the successful transition of New Zealand from a liberal democracy to an Indigenous governance model. Thompson reflects on the collaborative nature of the project, and the importance of cultural practices, such as following Tikanga, during the production process, which involved a large team working together harmoniously. He also affirms the collective effort behind the project, which serves as a model for the political future he envisions, emphasizing trust and collaboration throughout the creative process. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE Website - Sign up for my newsletter https://lightworkco.com/ Instagram - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco

On this episode I’m joined by Rita Mawuena Benissan as we discuss his newly commissioned works presented for 16 edition of the Sharjah Biennial, elucidated through the curatorial theme, to carry. Asking questions such as what does it mean to carry a home, a history, a language, a legacy, and a lineage. Born in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire in 1995 to Ghanaian parents, Rita's journey led her to the United States as a baby, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Apparel and Textile Design from Michigan State University in 2017, followed by a Master of Fine Arts in photography and an African Studies Program Certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2021. Rita is a Ghanaian-American interdisciplinary artist, on a mission to reimagine the royal umbrella, transforming it from a mere protective object into a potent symbol of Ghanaian identity. With a profound passion for art and cultural history, Rita collaborates with traditional artisans to breathe life into archival photos, immortalizing individual figures and communal scenes while embodying the beauty and power of her people. In this episode, Rita discusses her newly commissioned work 'You Must Cross and Seek.' The installation features photography, installations, and well-known umbrella works. Rita explains how the title and the works reflect themes of ancestral calls, cultural legacy, and the fishing community in the Volta region where her family is from. She emphasizes the need for cultural preservation, especially through her foundation, Si Hene, which focuses on documenting and archiving Ghanaian chieftaincy and traditional culture. Rita also discusses the challenges of accessing cultural archives and the importance of creating spaces for contemporary African art, urging a collaborative approach between communities and institutions. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE Website - Sign up for my newsletter https://lightworkco.com/ Instagram - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco

On this episode I’m joined by Kaloki Nyamai as we discuss his newly commissioned works presented for 16 edition of the Sharjah Biennial, elucidated through the curatorial theme, to carry. Asking questions such as what does it mean to carry a home, a history, a language, a legacy, and a lineage. Kaloki Nyamai is a multidisciplinary artist working with installation, painting, and sculpture living and working in Nairobi. Born in Kenya, from an early age, his mother introduced him to painting and taught him to draw, fostering an ever-lasting interest in art throughout his life. He studied Interior Design at the Buruburu Institute Of Fine Arts (BIFA) and then pursued painting after working in other creative fields. His large-scale paintings and mixed-media installations intricately explore historical narratives, examining their resonance in the present. Using materials like acrylic paint, sisal rope, photo transfers, and stitched yarn, Nyamai’s free-hanging pieces evoke the healing of historical wounds and a collective yearning for renewal. Rooted in Kenya’s rich heritage—particularly of the Kamba people—Nyamai draws inspiration from traditions passed down to him by his mother and grandmother, and the dynamic rhythms of contemporary life in Nairobi. In this episode, he reflects on the themes of community and new beginnings expressed in his work on display. Nyamai delves into his inspiration drawn from ancestral storytelling and the importance of maintaining cultural heritage through art. He emphasizes the impact of oral traditions in African cultures and shares insights into his unique use of materials that link his art to cultural and historical narratives. Additionally, Nyamai highlights the Kamene Art Residency he launched in 2023 to promote artistic growth and cultural exchange in Nairobi, which has blossomed into a cultural center. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE Website - Sign up for my newsletter https://lightworkco.com/ Instagram - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco

On this episode I’m joined by Rajni Perera as we discuss his newly commissioned works presented for 16 edition of the Sharjah Biennial, elucidated through the curatorial theme, to carry. Asking questions such as what does it mean to carry a home, a history, a language, a legacy, and a lineage? Rajni Perera was born in Sri Lanka in 1985 and lives and works in Toronto. She explores issues of hybridity, futurity, ancestorship, migrant and marginalized identities/cultures, monsters and dream worlds. These themes come together to fuel explorations within a multimedia practice that includes drawing and painting, clay, wood, lanterns, new media sculpture, textile, and most recently, synthetic taxidermy. In this episode, Rajni discusses how the dual influences of Canadian and Sri Lankan cultures shape her art, while highlighting the importance of contrasting her artisanal roots with Western art school experiences and hands-on, skill-based creation. She also goes into greater detail discussing the work 'Gatekeeper,' which explores themes of birth, motherhood, and the complexities around these subjects. The site of her installation, an old hospital, holds significance as a site of history and memory. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE Website - Sign up for my newsletter https://lightworkco.com/ Instagram - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco

On this episode I’m joined by Daniel Boyd as we discuss his newly commissioned work presented for 16 edition of the Sharjah Biennial, elucidated through the curatorial theme, to carry. Asking questions such as, what does it mean to carry a home, a history, a language, a legacy, and a lineage. Born in 1982 in Cairns Australia, Daniel Boyd is one of Australia’s most highly regarded artists. In 2014, Boyd became the first indigenous artist to win the prestigious Bulgari Art Prize, for his work, Untitled (2014), that referenced Australia’s long but little known history of slavery. The painting is both a personal and social account of history, Pentecost Island was home to Daniel’s great, great paternal grandfather before he was taken as slave to the sugarcane fields in Queensland. Through his artistic practice, he seeks to negotiate the identity of art, history and cultural survival through his investigations of oppressed and colonial culture. Daniel has been showing in Australia and internationally since 2005, and he participated in the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015, as curated by Okwui Enwezor. In this episode, Daniel discusses his installation for the Sharjah Biennial 16 and his use of black vinyl to create an immersive environment in the iconic star-shaped building, The Flying Saucer. He talks about his artistic approach, which engages with the history of modernism, the built environment, and First Nations Australian perspectives on placemaking. He also reflects on his responsibility as an Aboriginal artist to share his people's stories and how art can offer a counter-narrative to Australia's oppressive history. He elaborates on the importance of art in slowing down and engaging deeply, mentioning influences like the American artist Bruce Nauman and the Martinican literary titan and influential philosopher, Edouard Glissant. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE Website - Sign up for my newsletter https://lightworkco.com/ Instagram - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco

On this episode I’m joined by Zadie Xa as we discuss her newly commissioned works presented for 16 edition of the Sharjah Biennial, elucidated through the curatorial theme, to carry. Asking questions such as what does it mean to carry a home, a history, a language, a legacy, and a lineage. Zadie Xa was born in Vancouver, Canada on unceded, ancestral and continually asserted territories of several tribes of First Nations Peoples and is now based in London, UK. Her practice focuses on familial legacies, interspecies communication and diasporic worlding. Throughout her practice, Xa uses water and marine ecologies as metaphors for exploring the unknown whilst also alluding to abstract notions of homeland. She explores these themes through immersive installations that appeal to the sensory experience of the viewer, often incorporating painting, sculpture, textile, sound and performance elements. Zadie earned an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art in 2014 and a BFA at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 2007. In the episode Xa, describes one of the key influences on her work being Korean shamanism, which she discovered accidentally through the 1977 film 'Ido Island.' She explains how this discovery has profoundly impacted her artistic exploration of marginalized perspectives and the supernatural, and the importance of collaboration in her practice, notably with her longtime collaborator and life partner Benito Mayor Vallejo. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE Website - Sign up for my newsletter https://lightworkco.com/ Instagram - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco

On this episode I’m joined by Julian Knxx as we discuss his newly commissioned work presented for 16 edition of the Sharjah Biennial, elucidated through the curatorial theme, to carry. Asking questions such as, what does it mean to carry a home, a history, a language, a legacy, and a lineage. Julianknxx’s work merges his poetic practice with films and performance; he engages in a form of existential inquiry that at once seeks to find ways of expressing the ineffable realities of human experiences while examining the structures through which we live. In casting his own practice as a ‘living archive’ or an ‘history from below’, Julianknxx draws on West African traditions of oral history to reframe how we construct both local and global perspectives. He does this through a body of work that challenges fixed ideas of identity and unravels linear Western historical and socio-political narratives, attempting to reconcile how it feels to exist primarily in liminal spaces. In the episode, Julian reflects on his transition from poetry to incorporating film and performance in his artistic practice. He shares how influences from his West African heritage and personal experiences led him to explore new mediums that could encapsulate his narratives more holistically. He delves into his project for Sharjah Biennial 16, inspired by a dancer named Dorothée Munyaneza, who performed a ritual dance reflecting on her grandmother. -------------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE YOU CAN FOLLOW ME AND SUBSCRIBE Instagram - Follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sadeolo/ https://www.instagram.com/lightworkcompany/ YouTube - Subscribe to my YouTube Channel www.youtube.com/@lightworkco Website - Sign up for my newsletter https://lightworkco.com/

On this episode I’m joined by Ndidi Dike as we discuss her newly commissioned works presented for 16 edition of the Sharjah Biennial, elucidated through the curatorial theme, to carry. Asking questions such as what does it mean to carry a home, a history, a language, a legacy, and a lineage. Ndidi Dike was born in London. She returned to Nigeria to train as a painter and graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, graduating with a BA degree in mixed media painting. Although internationally known as a sculptor, having taught herself to sculpt, with decades of transgressive sculptural practice. In the current climate of contemporary politics, protectionism, nationalism and globalization Dike primarily works as a multi-media artist with a special interest in personal archives and long term researched based projects and engagement with global histories to address the pre and post-colonial historic and social-economic legacy of the enslaved, forced migration, and memory among other issues. Ndidi participated in the 60th edition of the Venice Biennale in 2024 with two commissions, "Blackhood: the Living Archive" and "Bearing Witness: Optimism In A Disquiet Present." In the episode Dike discusses her art practice, focusing on installations that examine complex themes such as pre and post-colonialism, global capitalism, and the impacts of the resource extraction industry in Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar. She reflects on her latest works showcased at the Sharjah Biennial 16.

On this episode I’m joined by Hoor Al Qasimi during the opening week of the Sharjah Biennial 16. Al Qasimi is the President and Director Sharjah Art Foundation, an organization she founded in 2009 as a catalyst and advocate for the arts around the world. She has been the Director of Sharjah Biennial since 2002, an internationally recognized platform for contemporary artists, curators and cultural producers, and curated Thinking Historically in the Present, the Sharjah Biennial 15 in 2023, originally conceived by the late Nigerian curator, Okwui Enwezor. After establishing the Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) in 2009, she developed programming that included exhibitions, artist residencies, and educational initiatives, aimed at fostering a cross-cultural dialogue and exchange within the UAE and globally. Recently, Al Qasimi was named the artistic director for both the 2026 Biennale of Sydney and the 2025 Aichi Triennale in Japan—the latter appointment marking her as the first non-Japanese curator to hold the position. In this episode, the director reflects on the meaningful aspects of this year's edition of the Sharjah Biennial, the collaboration among the five curators, and the importance of showcasing art in small local communities.

On this episode, I’m joined by Julien Creuzet, the Afro-descendant French Caribbean artist who has his first institutional solo exhibition on view now through June 1, 2025 at The Bell at Brown University in Providence Rhode Island. In the episode Creuzet shares his artistic journey and passion for making exhibitions where he can have a discussion through art. His work spans various mediums including sculpture, poetry, video, music, and more. Here, he’s reimagined his French Pavillion from the 60th Venice Biennale for The Bell, focusing on water as a site of both historical and contemporary traumas and emancipatory futures. Creuzet’s artistic practice has long referenced legacies of colonialism, and his challenge to the architecture and history of the French Pavilion extends to Brown University's campus and Providence’s centrality within the Black Atlantic. He delves into the autonomy in his creative process and how identity influences his work's adaptability across different cultural and political contexts. The exhibition reflects on the colonial history of Martinique, connections between different regions, and the fluidity of human identity. Brown is situated near the Providence River, one of the many Rhode Island ports through which the largest number of enslaved Africans entered the Thirteen Colonies prior to 1774. Triangulated with Africa and the Caribbean in the 18th century, the shipping industry of Rhode Island evolved to be deeply enmeshed with the U.S. cotton industry as the region became a center of textile production in the 19th century. Creuzet is fascinated by the watery connection between Venice, the Caribbean island of Martinique where his family has lived for generations, and Providence, conceptualizing the migration of the pavilion across a Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean dense with histories that have long informed his work. The presentation at Brown is of a different viscosity, an adaptation to Providence waterways and colonial thematics that are present on campus and loom large across the region.

On this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Joy Simmons. Dr. Joy Simmons is a radiologist, art collector, and philanthropist. In this episode, she discusses her multifaceted engagement with the arts. Beyond simply acquiring works, Dr. Simmons supports an entire arts ecosystem from artists to small non profits to galleries and museums through her work, her stewardship, and her commitment. She emphasizes the importance of visibility and community support for Black artists, writers, and curators. Dr. Simmons shares how her collection has grown over the years, and the unique installations in her home, highlighting the personal and cultural significance behind each piece. In the episode, she also reflects on the evolving art scene, the importance of preserving Black culture through art, and the impact of the recent wildfires in L.A. and the sociopolitical changes on the art community.

On this episode, I'm joined by Shinique Smith. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, and now Los Angeles based, Shinique Smith is best known for her visual poetry, monumental fabric sculptures, and paintings of calligraphy and collage that engage abstraction. Her work gained critical acclaim and widespread attention through her participation in important group exhibitions, including Frequency at the Studio Museum in Harlem, 30 Americans organized by the Rubell Family Collection and Unmonumental at the New Museum. Last fall, Smith unveiled a new monumental aluminum sculpture for Miami Arts in Public Spaces at the Port of Miami. She currently has work on view in several shows across the US, including By Way Of: Material and Motion in the Guggenheim Collection, curated by Naomi Beckwith, Poetics of Dimensions at the ICASF, curated by guest curator Larry Ossei-Mensah, and earlier this month, Smith opened up a two person show celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Nigerian Rele Gallery, Social Fabrics, Magic and Memories, features Smith's work in conversation with Lagos-based artist. Marcelina Acpojotor. Over the last twenty years, Smith has gleaned visual poetry from clothing and explored concepts of ritual using breath, bunding and calligraphy as tools toward abstraction. Her layered works range from palm-sized bundled microcosms to monolithic bales to massive chaotic paintings that contain vibrant and carefully collected mementos from her life. Smith’s practice operates at the convergence of consumption and spiritual sanctuary, balancing forces and revealing connections across space and time, race, gender and place to suggest the possibility of new worlds.