This episode, we are thrilled to be joined by the artist William Kentridge.
Born in 1955 in Johannesburg, South Africa - a city where he also now lives and works - William grew up under the pall of Apartheid. This experience deeply informs his practice, which frequently questions the historical record and examines the inequities and absurdities of our world.
Working across multiple media, he combines drawing, writing, film, performance, and other collaborative practices to create works of art that are grounded in history, yet maintain a space for contradiction and uncertainty.
In one of his now-signature techniques, William photographs his charcoal drawings and paper collages over time, recording scenes as they evolve. Working without a script or storyboard, he plots out each animated film, preserving every addition and erasure.
This is visible, for instance, in the series Self Portrait as a Coffee Pot, which William launched on the online streaming service MUBI last year. In this nine-part series, he opens the doors to his Johannesburg studio to lay bare his creative process, reflecting on culture, history, and political memory as he does so.
William’s genre defying talents have also led him to create operas and theatrical productions since the 1990s. Of his many productions, we’ve been lucky to see a few, including his 2010 production for the Metropolitan Opera of Shostakovich’s The Nose, as well as his 2023 production in Paris of "Waiting for the Sibyl."
William’s work has been exhibited in museums around the world, including the MoMA in New York, the Albertina in Vienna, the Louvre in Paris, and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, among many others. He is also, of course, in the collections of major museums across the globe.
Most recently, here in New York, William presented a solo exhibition at Hauser and Wirth titled, “A Natural History of the Studio.”
William is represented by Hauser and Wirth and Goodman Gallery
https://www.hauserwirth.com/artists/william-kentridge/
https://goodman-gallery.com/artists/william-kentridge
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Some artists discussed in this episode
This episode, we are thrilled to be joined by the artist Frieda Toranzo Jaeger. Based in Mexico City, Frieda is known for her captivating works exploring technology, capitalism, and gender., her art frequently delves into themes of digital interfaces, luxury cars, and the commodification of desire, challenging traditional notions of painting.
Frieda’s distinctive style incorporates elements of abstraction and figuration, using vibrant colors and fragmented compositions to create dynamic tension. Her practice is known for its engagement with a rich array of territories, including embroidery traditions, mural painting, and Western religious altars. Much of this helps to envision a future that embraces queer freedom, ecological communion with nature, and the creation of joyful and convivial spaces.
In 2022, her work was the subject of a solo survey exhibition at MoMA PS1, Queens. And in 2024, Frieda was the subject of a solo exhibition at Modern Art Oxford in the UK. That same year, she was included the 60th International Art Exhibition, curated by Adriano Pedrosa. And, most recently, she had a solo presentation at Bortolami here in New York.
Some artists discussed in this episode:
Frieda is represented by the following galleries Bortolami Gallery and Trautwein Herleth.
https://www.bortolamigallery.com/artists/frieda-toranzo-jaeger
https://trautweinherleth.de/artists/friede-torenzo-jaeger/
Born in Los Angeles in 1986, Sable Elyse Smith works across a variety of media, including photography, painting, and sculpture, to investigate the US prison-industrial complex and its role in and effects on society.
Her work has been featured at numerous prestigious institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New Museum, Guggenheim Museum, and ICA Boston - among many others. In 2022, she participated in the Whitney Biennial and the 59th Venice Biennale.
Smith is a recipient of several distinguished awards from Creative Capital, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, and most recently - the 2026 Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize - just to name a few.
She is currently an Assistant Professor of Visual Art at Columbia University.
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This episode we are thrilled to be joined by the artist Jessica Rankin.
Born in Sydney in 1971, Jessica is known for her vibrant and expansive exploration of the processes of memory, intuition, and interpretation.
For the first part of her career, Jessica produced textile works that adopted methods historically identified with feminine pursuits—embroidery and needlework. She created works featuring 'mental maps' that combined word and image to highlight her ongoing project: a hybrid weaving of personal, fictional and historical voices.
In 2016, Jessica turned exclusively to painting, combining gestural abstraction with the sewn mark on raw canvas. These works often take their inspiration from the literature of marginalised voices: of women writers, gay writers or writers of colour. They have included lines of poetry by writers who have inspired Jessica’s work, such as Etel Adnan, Paul Celan, and Carl Phillips.
Throughout, Jessica has continued to adopt John Cage’s adage to ‘be unfamiliar to yourself,” creating a rich and compelling practice that spans multiple media.
Jessica has been the subject of numerous solo and group exhibitions including the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, UK, and MoMA PS1 here in New York. Last year, she had a solo show at White Cube in Hong Kong.
Jessica is represented by White Cube.
https://www.whitecube.com/artists/jessica-rankin
Some artists and writers discussed in this episode:
This episode we are thrilled to welcome the inspiring artist Maia Ruth Lee.
Maia Ruth Lee’s multidisciplinary practice is deeply informed by questions surrounding the self in times of dispersion, mobility, and rootlessness. Using translation as an apparatus, Lee transmutes her works between mediums—photography, video, painting, and sculpture—connecting themes of borders, community, and language with embodiments of carriers, loss, and self-preservation through process and materials.
Born in Busan, South Korea, in 1983, Lee grew up in Kathmandu and Seoul, before arriving in New York City in 2011 where she spent over a decade. In 2020 she relocated to Salida, Colorado where she now lives and works.
Lee has held solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (CO), Tina Kim Gallery (NY), Francois Ghebaly Gallery (LA), and Jack Hanley Gallery (NY).
She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver and the 2019 Whitney Biennial. Most recently, she unveiled her newly commissioned work, The Conveyor (2024), at Prospect 6 in New Orleans.
Some artists discussed in this episode:
SPECIAL LIVE RECORDING AT NEW YORK'S ARMORY FAIR
This panel looks towards the next generation of collectors, discussing strategies for navigating the shifting art market. Considering how emerging patrons are building lasting relationships with artists and institutions, this conversation will discuss the role of young collectors in redefining the landscape of cultural philanthropy.
Featuring Will Palley and Amitha Raman, Co-Chairs of The Museum of Modern Art’s Young Patrons Council and hosts of the podcast Art from the Outside, in conversation with collector Jeffrey Liu.
This episode we are thrilled to be talking with the incredible artist Nadya Tolokonnikova.
Nadya is the creator of Pussy Riot, a global feminist art movement. In 2012 she was sentenced to 2 years' imprisonment following an anti-Putin performance Punk Prayer. Punk Prayer was named by The Guardian among the ‘best art pieces of the 21st century’.
Tolokonnikova's Putin’s Ashes art installation at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in January 2023 propelled her into a new criminal case and put on Russia’s most wanted criminal list. On June 21st, 2024 her debut museum exhibition RAGE, opened at OK Linz, Linz, Austria, and shortly after she performed the piece at the Neue Nationalgalerie on July 4.
Tolokonnikova's work is held in the permanent collections of The Brooklyn Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, Museum of Art and Design, and American Folk Art Museum, among others.
Some artists discussed in this episode:
You can read more about Nadya's show with Jeffrey Deitch in Los Angeles here:
https://deitch.com/los-angeles/exhibitions/pussy-riot-putin-s-ashes
For images, artworks, and more behind the scenes goodness, follow @artfromtheoutsidepodcast on Instagram!
This episode we are thrilled to be talking with the Brazilian born artist Alexandre da Cunha.
Based between London and Sao Paulo, Ale has referred to his practice as ‘pointing’ as opposed to ‘making’. By ‘pointing’ at existing objects in plain sight, he highlights new and unexpected meanings within the objects he chooses.
Grounded in material aesthetics, Ale creates monumentally scaled sculptures and playfully constructed wall-mounted work using metamorphosed everyday and found objects. Given their renewed possibility and playing with the visual language of art historical movements such as Arte Povera and Tropicália, Ale’s sculptures inspire lush potential, elevating our everyday encounters with ordinary materials to sociocultural events.
Ale’s work has been widely exhibited around the world. He’s had solo exhibitions at the Brighton CCA, the Royal Society of Sculptors in London, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and the Centro Cultural São Paulo, Brazil - among many others.
Ale’s work is included in major private and institutional collections including the ICA Boston, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Tate, and the Museu de Arte de São Paulo, Brazil, just to name a few.
Ale is represented by Thomas Dane Gallery, Galerie Luisa Strina, and James Cohan Gallery.
This episode, we are hugely excited to be joined by the artist Igshaan Adams.
Born in Bonteheuwel, a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa in 1982, Igshaan draws upon his background to contest racial, sexual and religious boundaries. This intersectional topography remains visible throughout his practice. Speaking about his work, Igshaan has said: "I’m interested in the personal stories recorded on the surface. What is recorded is not necessarily always a factual account but can be what is imagined – a combination of myth-making and meaning-making."
Igshaan has had solo exhibitions around the world, including at The Art Institute of Chicago, the Hayward Gallery in London, and the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town, just to name a few. Plus, this June, we can look forward to a new solo exhibition at the Hepworth Wakefield (which, as someone from the UK, Will is especially excited about).
Igshaan has also participated in numerous international group shows, including the Islamic Arts Biennale (2023) in Jeddah, the Venice Biennale, and – where Will had the pleasure of getting to meet Igshaan in person, the São Paulo Bienal. He is also included in the show Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art at the Barbican Gallery in London. It will run from the 13th of February to the 26th of May 2024.
Igshaan is represented by blank projects, Thomas Dane Gallery, and Casey Kaplan.
https://blankprojects.com/Igshaan-Adams
https://www.thomasdanegallery.com/artists/363-igshaan-adams/profile/
https://caseykaplangallery.com/artists/igshaan-adams/
This episode we are thrilled to be joined by the trailblazing artist Shahzia Sikander.
Originally from Lahore, Pakistan; Sikander works across a variety of media including: paintings, video, and most recently, sculpture.
She is best known for subverting Central and South-Asian manuscript painting traditions and launching the form known today as neo-miniature.
Sikander earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the National College of Arts in Lahore; and a Master of Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design.
Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, California; the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C.; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, in New York and Abu Dhabi - among many others.
In addition, Sikander is the recipient of numerous honors including the Pollock Prize for Creativity, the Asia Society Award for Significant Contribution to Contemporary Art, and a MacArthur Fellowship - just to name a few
Enjoy!!
Some artists, poets, and writers discussed in this episode:
You can learn more about Shahzia's residency at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute here.
https://zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/alan-kanzer-artist-residence
Shahzia is represented by Sean Kelly gallery.
https://www.skny.com/artists/shahzia-sikander
For images, artworks, and more behind the scenes goodness, follow @artfromtheoutsidepodcast on Instagram!
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This episode we are thrilled to be joined by the artist P Staff.
Born in Bognor Regis in the UK and now living and working between Los Angeles and London, P’s work draws from a wide-ranging assortment of inspirations, materials, and settings to emphasize the processes by which bodies – especially those of people who are queer, trans, or disabled – are controlled by society.
P works across multiple media, including installation, film, and poetry. In their 2019 installation On Venus at the Serpentine Gallery in London, P used mirrored floors, yellow lights, and warped footage to explore the exchange between bodies, ecosystems, and institutions from a queer and trans perspective. P went on to present a version of this work at the Venice Biennale last year.
And in their exhibition this summer at the Kunsthalle Basel titled In Ecstasy (or alternatively In Ekstase), P used materials including electric nets, architectural interventions, and holograms to consider how bodies are disciplined in a society defined by capitalism and its brutality.
Among a host of venues worldwide, P has had solo exhibitions at institutions including the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and the Chisenhale Gallery, London (which is actually run by Zoe Whitley, a guest from Season 1 of Art from the Outside).
Some artists and thinkers discussed in this episode:
P is represented by Commonwealth and Council in the United States and Galerie Sultana in Europe.
https://commonwealthandcouncil.com/us/patrick-staff/biography
https://galeriesultana.com/artists/p-staff
For images, artworks, and more behind the scenes goodness, follow @artfromtheoutsidepodcast on Instagram. Enjoy!
https://www.instagram.com/artfromtheoutsidepodcast/
This episode we are hugely excited to be joined by the artist Tiona Nekkia McClodden!
Tiona is a visual artist, filmmaker, and curator whose work explores and critiques issues at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and social commentary.
Born in Blytheville, Arkansas and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Tiona weaves narratives through archives, memories and objects, integral to her past and present, that shape her broader practice.
In 2022, Tiona’s exhibitions at The Shed and 52 Walker alongside her year-long installation at MoMA in New York, garnered significant acclaim, prompting The New York Times to identify Teeona as “one of the most singular artists of our aesthetically rich, free-range time.”
Her work have been shown at Kunsthalle Basel, the Institute of Contemporary Art-Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Museum of Modern Art (New York); the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York) ; the New Museum (New York); Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) – Berlin, among many others.
And, just in September, Tiona opened up the installation Tiona Nekkia McClodden: Play Me Home at the Baltimore Museum.
Some artists and institutions discussed in this episode:
Tiona is represented globally by White Cube gallery.
https://www.whitecube.com/artists/tiona-nekkia-mcclodden
For images, artworks, and more behind the scenes goodness, follow @artfromtheoutsidepodcast on Instagram. Enjoy!
https://www.instagram.com/artfromtheoutsidepodcast/
SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE!!
In this special episode, we host a conversation with artist John Edmonds and Guggenheim curator Dr. Ashley James and to discuss the Guggenheim's new exhibition, Going Dark: The Contemporary Figure at the Edge of Visibility.
The exhibition presents works of art that feature partially obscured or hidden figures, thus positioning them at the “edge of visibility.” In this art context, the common phrase going dark is understood as a tactic whereby artists visually conceal the body to explore a key tension in contemporary society: the desire to be seen and the desire to be hidden from sight.
Among a host of incredible artists, Going Dark also includes two Art from the Outside guests: Ming Smith from Season 3, and Tiona Nekkia McClodden, an upcoming Season 4 guest.
The exhibition is on view at the Guggenheim New York from October 20, 2023 - April 7, 2024. The museum is located at 1071 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10128 (Between 88th and 89th Streets).
https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/going-dark-the-contemporary-figure-at-the-edge-of-visibility
Welcome to season 4 of Art from the Outside!
This episode we are thrilled to kick off the season with the artist Zadie Xa. Born in Vancouver in 1983 and now based in London, Zadie has developed an expansive practice that addresses the nature of diasporic identities, global histories, familial legacies and interspecies communication. Working across painting, sculpture, textile production, and performance, she draws upon her Korean heritage as she seeks to elevate narratives that have been erased or repressed by the West and occupying powers.
Her work has been presented at venues around the world, such as the Whitechapel Gallery in London, Remai Modern, Saskatoon, Canada and Tramway, Glasgow, Scotland. In 2019, Zadie was invited to contribute to the performance program at the 58th Venice Biennale, which was also curated by Ralph Rugoff and Aaron Cezar - another Art from the Outside guest.
In July Zadie opened the exhibition Nine Tailed Tall Tales: Trickster, Mongrel, Beast at Space K Seoul, South Korea.
Some artists discussed in this episode:
For images, artworks, and more behind the scenes goodness, follow @artfromtheoutsidepodcast on Instagram. Enjoy!
https://www.instagram.com/artfromtheoutsidepodcast/
This episode, we are thrilled to be joined by the visionary collector, philanthropist, Pamela Kramlich. Over the last 35 years, alongside her husband Richard Kramlich, Pamela has built one of the most distinguished and expansive collections of time-based media art. The collection, which includes over 200 works of film, video, slide, and installation, as well as more than 250 works of photography, sculpture, painting, and drawing is predominantly located in their home in Napa Valley California, where they commissioned Herzog and de Meuron to design a residence and exhibition space.
Pam is also the founder of the New Art Trust, one of the most important nonprofits leading the conversation around conservation, presentation, and public education for “new media” art. This incredible organization has been instrumental in building new practices around how we view, maintain, and think about art work today.
In addition to that, Pam is a distinguished philanthropist, sitting on the board of SF MoMA in addition to many other organizations.
Some artists discussed in this episode:
For images, artworks, and more behind the scenes goodness, follow @artfromtheoutsidepodcast on Instagram. Enjoy!
This episode we have the privilege of speaking with the legendary photographer and artist Ming Smith.
During a career spanning almost six decades, Smith has documented everyday moments while pushing the limits of photography as a medium. Her distinct style combines a deliberate blurriness with experimental post-production techniques including double exposure, collage, and painting to amplify the works’ dream-like qualities.
Well known for her in-action portraits of notable cultural icons - from James Baldwin to Grace Jones - Smith’s ethereal compositions celebrate the richness of Black culture and the African diaspora. In 1972, Ming joined the Kamoinge Workshop, a collective of Black photographers established in New York City.
Born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Smith earned a Bachelor of Science from Howard University before moving to New York in the early 1970’s, where she now lives and works.
Smith’s work has been exhibited in critically-acclaimed exhibitions including MoMA’s ‘Pictures by Women: A History of Modern Photography’; Brooklyn Museum’s ‘We Wanted A Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965-85.’ and one of my personal favorites - ‘Soul of a Nation’ which opened at Tate Modern, and traveled to Brooklyn Museum, Crystal Bridges and The Broad.
In addition, Smith’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art; and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C. - just to name a few.
Some artists and individuals discussed in this episode:
For images, artworks, and more behind the scenes goodness, follow @artfromtheoutsidepodcast on Instagram. Enjoy!
This episode we are excited to be joined the pioneering artist and activist Marilyn Minter.
Minter deftly explores American culture’s pathology of glamor through painting, photography, and video works which focus primarily on the female body and its treatment in popular media.
Well known for her meticulous technical mastery, Minter’s details often highlight natural corporeal qualities that are omitted in mass-media depictions of women, such as body hair and stretch marks.
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1948, Minter earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida at Gainesville and a Master of Fine Arts from Syracuse University before moving to New York in 1976, where she now lives and works.
Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York; the Tate Modern in London; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles; and the Perez Art Museum in Miami - just to name a few.
In addition, Minter is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Louis Comfort Tiffany Grant, Guggenheim Fellowship, and the National Endowment for the Arts, Artist's Fellowship Grant - among many others.
Marilyn is represented by LGDR, New York, Regen Projects, Los Angeles and Baldwin Gallery, Aspen.
Some artists discussed in this episode:
For images, artworks, and more behind the scenes goodness, follow @artfromtheoutsidepodcast on Instagram. Enjoy!
This episode, we are honored to be joined by the incredible, Turner Prize-nominated artist and filmmaker, Isaac Julien.
Born in 1960 in London, Isaac is one of the leading artists working in film and video today. His 1989 film Looking for Langston garnered a cult following with this poetic exploration of Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance.
Over the past three decades he has made work using multi-screen installations to express fractured narratives exploring memory and desire.
Earlier this year, he was commissioned by the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia to create a work to celebrate the museums’ centennial. Titled Once Again . . . (Statues Never Die), the immersive five-screen installation b explored the relationship between the museum’s founder, Dr. Albert C. Barnes, and the famed philosopher and cultural critic Alain Locke.
In even more exciting news, next year, Isaac will be the subject of a solo exhibition at London’s Tate Britain in April, presenting a survey of his work from the last 40 years. Isaac was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2017 and was knighted by the Queenin the 2022 for services to diversity and inclusion in art.
Some artists, curators, and actors discussed in this episode:
For images, artworks, and more behind the scenes goodness, follow @artfromtheoutsidepodcast on Instagram. Enjoy!
Welcome to Season 3 of Art from the Outside!!!
To kick off Season 3, we speak with the brilliant artist, thinker, and healer Guadalupe Maravilla. Born in 1976 in El Salvador, and now based and working in Brooklyn, New York, Guadalupe received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts, and an MFA from Hunter College at the City University of New York.
Guadalupe creates intricately layered paintings, sculptures and therapeutic performances that draw from his personal history and Central American ancestry, often resembling mythic creatures or reliquaries. Guadalupe is work examines issues of migration, healing, generational trauma, while creating new rituals for care, and regeneration.
Guadalupe has had solo presentations at museums around the world, including at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Brooklyn Museum, and Socrates Sculpture Park, just to name a few. He's also the recipient of countless grants, including a Joan Mitchell Fellowship, a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, and a Soros Fellowship. He is represented by P·P·O·W in New York and mor charpentier in Paris.
Enjoy!!
This episode we are so excited to be joined by a brilliant artist who we both greatly admire: Derrick Adams.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1970; Derrick's work spans painting, collage, sculpture, performance, video, and sound installations. His multidisciplinary practice engages the ways in which individuals’ ideals, aspirations, and personae become attached to specific objects, colors, textures, symbols, and ideologies.
This April, Adams was awarded a $1.25 M. grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to develop an archive devoted to Black culture in Baltimore. He will also soon be opening a residency for Black creatives in Baltimore called The Last Resort Artist Retreat (TLRAR). You can read more at tlrar.org.
Derrick earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Pratt Institute and a Master of Fine Arts at Columbia University. His work resides in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Whitney Museum of American Art - just to name a few. In addition, Derrick is a recipient of a Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship, a Studio Museum Joyce Alexander Wein Artist Prize, and a Louis Comfort Tiffany Award - among others.
Some artists discussed in this episode:
For images, artworks, and more behind the scenes goodness, follow @artfromtheoutsidepodcast on Instagram. Enjoy!
