Fresh Art International

Frédéric Nauczyciel, a Paris-based artist, describes an elusive subculture that he explored in Baltimore, Washington DC and New York City, and introduces his new photo series: Men In Heels.

In his Chicago studio, we sit down with Jefferson Pinder to talk about the physical exertion in his work. The video and performance artist explains how Black history, Houdini, street theater, and symbols of power and struggle inform his practice.

At the time of this recording, Pinder was preparing for his 2011 appearance as The Escape Artist in Salisbury, Maryland. The performance commemorated the death of Matthew Williams, who was confined to a straightjacket when he was lynched in front of the Wicomico courthouse on December 4, 1931.

Sound Editor: Ira Kip | Special Audio and Photography, courtesy Jefferson Pinder

Related Fresh VUE: Jefferson Pinder, Ben Hur

Related Link: Jefferson Pinder

New York-based video artist Janet Biggs makes an extreme sport of her creative expression. In this conversation, Janet considers the power of desire and the physical challenges she met while producing the complex video projects we experience in No Limits, her current mid-career survey. Organized by the Tampa Museum of Art, the exhibition runs from October 8, 2011 through January 8, 2012.

Sound Editor: Jeff T. Byrd | Special Audio courtesy Janet Biggs

Related Episodes: Janet Biggs—Artmaking at the Edge of the World

Related Links: Janet Biggs, Tampa Museum of Art

When we record with Kate Hers, a Korean-born artist based in Berlin, in 2011, she describes the German art scene and explains how she raised funds through Kickstarter for her project Dr. Rhee's Kimtschi Shop. The artist and her partner, physicist Hanjo Rhee, will trade their special version of Korea’s national treasure for cultural artifacts from local customers from November 19 to 25, 2011, in the space known as Das Gift, in Berlin.

William Pope.L, a performance artist and interventionist based in Chicago and Lewiston, Maine, is presenting a magic lantern show titled Blink for Prospect.2 New Orleans, the 2011 U.S. Biennial. For his project, the artist made a film from more than a thousand images donated by the people of New Orleans. On the night of October 22, Pope.L projected the film through the back of an old ice cream truck (previously, The Black Factory) as a team of volunteers pulled it across the dark city. Blink came to rest at Xavier University where it will remain on view through January 2012. This episode features a conversation with Pope.L, the sounds of Blink in motion and a hint of Don Quixote.

Sound Editor: Jeff T. Byrd | Music: Don Quixote | Photos: Amanda LaPlaca and Cathy Byrd

Related Episodes: William Pope.L on Endurance,  Art and Community in Prospect 3 New Orleans

Related Links: William Pope.L, Blink, Prospect.2 New Orleans