Artblog | Interviews

October 12, 2016 by Roberta

Elaine Byrne – Classic material with a contemporary context

Irish artist Elaine Byrne makes work that uses Dante, James Joyce and other heady source material for her works with political and social commentary on contemporary issues. In one case she is calling out an Irish bank scandal, using Dante’s Purgatorio and a pilgrimage location in Ireland called St. Patrick’s Purgatory; in another she’s raising issues about anti-Semitism in the context of Joyce’s Cyclops section of Ulysses. The videos are captivating, and give so very much to chew over. Elaine’s Irish accent is part of the treat of this 38-minutes long podcast.

October 3, 2016 by Roberta

Eileen Neff Talks Poetry, Nature, and Travel

Artist, Pew Fellow, and 2016 Guggenheim Grantee Eileen Neff makes photographs and prints them large, small, framed or unframed, and, recently, shaped–like her photo of a leaf is shaped like a leaf, which appeared in her 2015 solo show at Bridgette Mayer Gallery, which represents her.

September 30, 2016 by Roberta

Jodi Throckmorton on Ghosts, Cassils, and Curating Contemporary at PAFA

Before arriving at PAFA, Jodi Throckmorton was Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Wichita State University. Prior to that, she lived in the new media mecca of Silicon Valley, where she was Associate Curator at the San Jose Museum of Art for eight years. Now at PAFA, Throckmorton is bringing her considerable energy and wide-ranging interest in contemporary art to integrating edgy contemporary art with PAFA’s traditional strong suits of figuration and realism.

September 22, 2016 by Roberta

Gee Wesley’s vision – a world of books and more

Perhaps you stopped by Reading Terminal last Friday and saw the pop up bookstore on Filbert Street? Ulises is the name of the store, and Gee Wesley and collaborators are the founders. The alternative/experimental bookstore project will open a more permanent home in October in a converted garage space at 31 E. Columbia Ave. Phila 19125.

September 13, 2016 by Roberta

Clint Takeda + Scott Hewicker Talk about Psychedelia, Music, and Art

Clint Takeda and Scott Hewicker met 15 years ago when Takeda was head preparator at the ICA and Hewicker was a featured artist in Alex Baker’s East Meets West exhibition. This month the two meet again in an exhibition at Grizzly Grizzly.

September 8, 2016 by Roberta

José Ortiz-Pagán talks of etching on steel and curating a booth at “Unlisted”

José Ortiz-Pagán grew up in a small town in Southern Puerto Rico where he was a skater and a fledgling grafitti artist. Fast forward a few and now, he’s been in Philadelphia for seven years. The Tyler MFA in printmaking and sculpture talks about being an activist and about the political roots of his current work at the new Latino art commercial gallery, RACSO.

August 23, 2016 by Roberta

Artblog Presents Creative Africa – Akinbode Akinbiyi

Akinbode Akinbiyi was born in England of Nigerian parents. The Berlin-based artist is a self-taught street photographer who calls himself a “wanderer.” He loves mega-cities and in fact he told us he wandered around our own mega-city, Philadelphia, and took photos when he was here. Artblog spoke with Akinbiyi on May 13, 2016, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Perelman Building, home of five Creative Africa exhibitions. You can see Akinbiyi’s beautiful black and white photos at the PMA Perelman building now until Sept. 25, 2016.

August 21, 2016 by Roberta

Artblog Presents Creative Africa – Francis Kéré

Francis Kéré is a Burkina Faso-born, Berlin-based architect known for his adaptive use of vernacular materials in structures like schools and other gathering places, especially in his native land. The Artblog video shows Kéré’s passion for community participation in his projects.