Category: Interviews

Posted on , by Yasmeen Abdallah

Metamorphosis at Taplin Gallery, Arts Council of Princeton: Yasmeen Abdallah with Anna Shukeylo

In dialogue
Installation view

Metamorphosis at the Arts Council of Princeton brings together 4 mid-career artists whose work artist and curator Anna Shukeylo has long admired—and envisioned sharing the same space. Each piece explores transformation or shapeshifting in its own way, reflecting the theme that gives the exhibition its name. Since its initial conception, the show has undergone some changes, with some works so new they haven’t even fully cured. Shukeylo invites the artists to interpret the theme freely and engages them in the selection process, though she makes the final curatorial decisions. I spoke with Shukeylo about her process and how the show has evolved.

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Posted on , by Etty Yaniv

Lilac Madar: Poppy Pink in Central Park

Featured Project
PoppyPink New York [Rehearsal], June 2024, Participatory Performance, Central Park, New York, NY. Photo: Yonatan H. Mishal

Lilac Madar, best known for her photomontages and assemblages exploring feminist themes, turned to performance in the wake of October 7, 2023, as she began to grapple with mounting evidence of atrocities committed during the Hamas-led massacre in Israel—including the rape, sexual brutalization, and murder of women. Her grief made creation feel impossible—until a vision emerged: she was lost in Central Park, leaving a trail of pink thread behind her. PoppyPink, for her, is an act of remembrance—a body unraveling in real time, marking the absence and memory of the women violated and silenced. Named in part for artist Inbar Haiman (Pink), murdered at the Nova festival, the performance aims to affirm what art demands: to witness, to endure, to insist on presence. In this interview, we take a closer look at the project and its origins.

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Posted on , by Riad Miah

Lauriston Avery with Riad Miah

In Dialogue

Displaying
Lauriston Avery, Small Luminary (w/ Magic Halo ), 2024, Mixed media construction, 16 x 14.25 x 4 inches
(LAC19)

I am happy to speak with Lauriston Avery following his successful recent exhibition at Dutton. Avery is an artist whose work challenges traditional notions of material and space. Through an intuitive and deeply personal process, he transforms unconventional materials—often those found in everyday life—into evocative, textured works that feel both raw and, at times, meditative. His practice blurs the lines between structure and spontaneity, embracing limitations as a source of discovery rather than restriction. In this conversation, we discuss Avery’s approach to materiality, the role of intuition and experimentation in his work, and how the idea of space has become a vital element in his practice. His work invites us to reconsider what we see and feel in our environments.

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Posted on , by Caitlin Reid

1000 Days of Drawing: A Conversation with Joshua Drayzen

In Dialogue
Installation shot of Spirit Wave, a solo exhibition of drawings at Massey Klein

I met with Joshua Drayzen at Massey Klein shortly after the opening of his solo exhibition, Spirit Wave. A Brooklyn-based artist, Drayzen recently surpassed 1,000 consecutive days of drawing. I wanted to learn more about the enigmatic images and the devotional practice behind them. What I discovered, however, was that this was more than just a habit—it’s a ritual that shapes and invigorates his entire creative practice.

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Posted on , by Will Kaplan

Site: Seoyoung Kim’s project to uplift artists and broaden their communities

In Dialogue
Site founder Seoyoung Kim

For each iteration of curatorial project, Site, founder Seoyoung Kim has been blessed: swelling turnout, glowing reviews, a sunny day for their first outdoor show. When she opened Site 004. Winter Solstice on December 21st, New York saw its first snow of the season. Moments big and small in her pop-up shows keep confirming that she’s on the right track. The ambitious installations lean toward an organic, playful minimalism, with room for viewers to look slowly. In dialogue with sculptures and wall-work, Kim has begun to incorporate time-based programming—poetry readings, DJ sets, and artist performances– to fully embrace her curation’s one-night ephemerality. Still, these brief offerings provide space for artists of all stripes to congregate and share their work meaningfully, with a sense of both depth and urgency. A year into spearheading this project, Ms. Kim took some time to reflect on Site’s journey. 

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Posted on , by Anna Shukeylo

OXH Gallery Setting the Stage for Women Artists in the Heart of  Tampa

In dialogue
Motherhood Mediated installation view, courtesy OXH Gallery

Odeta Xheka, an artist, curator, and mother, has been an avid advocate for women in the fine arts. Her latest endeavor is an ambitious and exciting one, as she opened OXH Gallery in the heart of Tampa’s Ybor City Historic District just a few months ago. I’m sitting down with Odeta to discuss her new gallery, her mission, exciting collaborations, and the current two-person show Time Shards, which will be on view through March 20th, 2025.

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Posted on , by Vita Eruhimovitz

L.W.D: Rooted in LA

In Dialogue
Courtesy of the artist

L.W.D. sees himself as an observer of modern society—a world that has, in many ways, passed him by over the last three decades. L.W.D.’s work is rooted in the assertion of his personal identity within the fractured American society. His art reflects the painful shift from childhood to adulthood, a transformation that feels almost brutal, marked by the loss of innocence in the face of America’s historical realities. His perspective of the American way of life, capturing both the disappointments and fleeting joys, recalls the social commentary of Philip Guston—particularly in the simplicity of his cityscapes, yet with a distinctive handwriting, palette, and choice of subjects. L.W.D.’s visual language fuses the emotional character originating from blues lyrics and the iconic symbolism of Roy Lichtenstein’s pop art. Working within the tradition of the naive picturesque narrative, L.W.D. incorporates the humor of a comic book while maintaining his focus on the historical and the social.

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Posted on , by Etty Yaniv

T.D. Motley: The Art of Farming

In Dialogue

Thomas Motley’s first novel, The Art of Farming: Sketches of a Life in the Country, is rooted in stewardship—a shared responsibility for the earth, animals, and one another. This theme has become more central to his paintings over time, though respect for nature has always been part of his work. His non-fiction writing and lectures on organic farming have also reflected this idea.

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Posted on , by Art Spiel

Margaret Koval: The Uncanny Valley of Everyday Life at ArtWRKD

In Dialogue
Margaret Koval in her studio. Photo courtesy of Kate Hammett.

The paintings in Margaret Koval’s latest exhibition, The Uncanny Valley of Everyday Life, capture a sense of disorientation—recognizable urban and suburban scenes where something is slightly off. They are rich in color and composition, drawing viewers in with pleasing views, yet an underlying unease lingers. Like waking up to find someone has rearranged your furniture overnight, they create a feeling of estrangement within the familiar.

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