From the category archives:

Explain Me

Museum Board Members Fail Moral Challenges, Museum Exhibitions Exceed Expectations

by Paddy Johnson on December 4, 2018

Donna DeSalvo assembles some of Andy Warhol’s greatest work for his retrospective at the Whitney Museum, while revelations that Whitney Vice Chair Warren B. Kanders owns a company that sells tear gas used at the border shake museum staff. Soul of a Nation at the Brooklyn Museum looks at the history of political activism, while Jack Waters offers a mix of bag of awe inspiring abject art paired with groan inspiring sculptures and paintings. Jack Whitten at the Metropolitan Museum dazzles, Art and Conspiracy flops, and Amazon is going to drive Queens residents out of their homes.

Listen ——>

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Live From Forward Union: Four Women Who Are Using Art to Change the World

by Paddy Johnson on September 29, 2018

It’s been a rough news week. Between Thursday’s testimonies of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Kavanaugh’s near appointment to the Supreme Court Friday, many of us are exhausted. We would like a win for women.

Sometimes the quickest way to achieve that is to do it yourself. As such, this episode of Explain Me celebrates women who have made waves in the world of art and activism, through a series of interviews with four major figures—Mia Pearlman (Make NY True Blue), Jenny Dubnau (ASAP), Nancy Kleaver (PARADE), and Mira Schor (Selected writing).

In the first half of the show, Mia Pearlman and Jenny Dubnau talk about their work pushing for changes at the city and state level and how being an artist makes that job easier. In the second half, Paddy Johnson and Nancy Kleaver talk about their new public art organization, PARADE, and Mira Schor talks about the history of feminism in art from the 1970’s through to today, and her contributions. Stream it. Download it. Listen to it. This one’s important.

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Explain Me: The Case for Taxing The Hell Out of Peter Brant

by Paddy Johnson on July 16, 2018

In this episode of Explain Me William Powhida and Paddy Johnson discuss the horrific business practices of Peter Brant and Interview Magazine, a fundraising campaign at University of North Carolina so misguided that firing is in order, and the latest headscratching Creative Time project. To help us discuss all of this, and how the new tax code will affect artists accountant and painter Hannah Cole joins us.

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Explain Me: The New Museum Triennial—Two Critics Perform Their Own Acts of Sabotage

by Paddy Johnson on April 18, 2018

In this episode of Explain Me, Paddy Johnson and William Powhida discuss the New Museum Triennial. Both Johnson and Powhida agree this show has more of its fair share of bad art but only Powhida sees this as a dealbreaker. Debate ensues. The ad in which Pepsi and model Kendall Jenner create world peace gets a mention.

Thanks to Explain Me sponsor, Superfine

Lydia Ourahmane, “Finitude, 2018, Courtesy of the Artist

Chemu Ng’ok Image via: Hyperallergic

Anupam Roy installation view

Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude, The New Zimbabwe (2018) at “2018 Triennial: Songs

Manolis D. Lemos, dusk and dawn look just the same (riot tourism), 2017 (still). Courtesy of the artist and CAN Christina Androulidaki Gallery, Athens

Haroon Gunn-Salie “Senzenina” (2018), an installation by the South African artist Haroon Gunn- Salie, memorializes the 2012 police massacre of striking miners in his homeland.

Hardeep Pandhal, Pool Party Pilot Episode, 2018, 4K animation, color, sound; 8:10 min. Hardeep Pandhal.

Tomm El-Saieh

Tiril Hasselknippe, installation view

PRONOUNCIATION GUIDE

Gary Carrion-Murayari

** Carry-on Mur-uh-yar-ee

Tomm El-Saieh

** El-say

Lydia Ourahmane

** Oura-ha-mane

Chemu Ng’ok

** Chem-oo Nuh-gok

Gresham Tapiwa Nyaude

** Tap-ee-wa Naw-u-deh

Manolis D. Lemos

** Man-o-lis Lem-os

Tiril Hasselknippe

** Tir-ill Has-ul-nip

Hardeep Pandhal

** Pand-al

Haroon Gunn-Salie ** Sal-ley

Anupam Roy

** A-new-pam

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Explain Me: The Spring Break Art Show Part One and Two With Pictures!

by Paddy Johnson on March 17, 2018

Last week William Powhida and I spent an enormous amount of time at the Spring Break Art Show. We had so much to say about the show we produced two podcasts and discussed many booths at length. In the first podcast, we give the lay of the land in art fair world (we discuss the character of other fairs, and SPRING/BREAK), identify themes, and get the bad art out of the way. We also collect a few pitches from those in booths, so those who couldn’t attend the fair could get a sense of what it was like. In the second podcast we go deep on a few booths and try to give a more thorough analysis of what we saw.

There are however some limitations to what we can do with a podcast, and one of them is visuals. Handily, Art F City manages those just fine, so in this post I assemble images of a lot of the work we discuss so that listeners have a few cues. That said, a disclaimer needs to be made: some of these photographs suck. I’ve tried whenever possible to use press images, but in some cases, I wasn’t able to make that happen. You’ll know the difference, and I’m sorry.

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Explain Me: The Stink of Met Admission Hikes Endures

by Paddy Johnson on February 21, 2018

Back in January, William Powhida and I recorded an episode of Explain Me on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new admission policy. Earlier that month, the museum known for housing some of the world’s greatest treasures announced its admission price would no longer remain “pay-as-you-wish”. As of March 1st, their suggested admission, $25 will become mandatory for anyone living outside of New York State. Children under 12 get in for free.

Given that there’s less than two weeks until this policy change goes into affect, we thought it might be a good time to release our discussion and revisit the debate.

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Explain Me: What Curators Really Think—A Cringe Worthy Report

by Paddy Johnson on December 29, 2017

On this episode of Explain Me we discuss a disastrous curator conference at SVA titled “Curatorial Activism and the Politics of Shock”, the Miami art fairs, and three shows— “Talon Rouge: Six Mexican Artists Revisit José Juan Tablada and His New York Circle” at PROXYCO, “Johnny Abrahams: Threnody” at The Hole and “Molly Zuckerman-Hartung: Learning Artist” and “Maryam Hoseini Of Strangers and Parrots” at Rachel Uffner.

Links and show images mentioned in the discussion below:

CAFKA
TJ Clark – Farewell to an idea
PROXYCO
“Johnny Abrahams: Threnody” at The Hole
“Molly Zuckerman-Hartung: Learning Artist” and “Maryam Hoseini Of Strangers and Parrots” at Rachel Uffner

Installation view, Johnny Abrahams “Threnody”

Installation view, Maryam Hoseini, Of Strangers and Parrots, Rachel Uffner Gallery

Installation view, Molly Zuckerman-Hartung, Learning Artist, Rachel Uffner Gallery

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Gentrification, Income Inequality and Donald Trump Baby Turds

by Paddy Johnson on November 24, 2017

In this episode of Explain Me William Powhida and Paddy Johnson talk about the 450 million dollar Leonardo Da Vinci of disputed authenticity and the Boyle Heights activists who follow artist Laura Owen’s from L.A. to New York to protest her non-profit 365 Mission while she visited The Whitney. Activists believe the presence of her gallery will lead to displacement. Additionally, we discuss the exhibitions listed below.

Listen to us on iTunes and Stitcher.

Didier Williams

Tiger Strikes Asteroid: Didier William, “We Will Win“. Review: A Haitian Artist’s Mesmerizing Eyes

Paddy Johnson failing to hula hoop and draw at the same time.

The Museum of Human Achievement (in Austin TX)

Nicholas Cueva at Five Miles

Five Miles: Nicholas Cueva, “The People Games Play”

Tracing Trajectories at Trestle Gallery – Installation view.

Trestle Projects: Tracing Trajectories/Selections from the Hoggard/Wagner Collection

From “Anteroom”, by Anita Thacher, 1982, 35mm color slide projection, brass doorknob and plate, sound, 108 x 144 x 3 inches – Image courtesy of the artist and Microscope Gallery

Microscope Gallery: Anita Thacher, “Anteroom”