Not Real Art

Today, guest host and LA muralist Erin Yoshi is joined by performance artist, comedian, writer, and elected representative, Kristina Wong. Kristina has been featured in the New York Times’ Off Color series, highlighting artists of color who use humor to make smart social statements about the sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious ways that race plays out in America today. She has been presented internationally across North America, the UK, Hong Kong, and on the African continent, and has been a guest on late night shows on NBC, Comedy Central, and FX. Kristina’s work has been described as “brutal but hilarious" and, in this episode, she shares her unique perspective on the intersection between politics and art, martyrdom and mental health, and her Western privilege as an Asian American woman. We also touch on vagina costumes, yellow fever, and Kristina’s love-hate relationship with activism and obsession, plus so much more! To learn more about Kristina Wong and how she confronts defunct systems of power through her outrageously funny and highly relevant work, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Kristina shares her relationship with performance art and how her expression has evolved.
• Kristina’s experience of running for office, the intersection between politics and art, and making political comedy in a post-satire world.
• A glimpse into ‘Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord’, her newest performance art piece.
• Crashing a beauty pageant in ‘Fannie Wong, Former Miss Chinatown 2nd Runner Up’.
• Recurring themes of martyrdom, mental health, and saving the world in Kristina’s projects.
• Confronting her Western privilege through hip hop in Uganda in ‘The Wong Street Journal’.
• The importance of listening to those most affected by the issues you advocate for or against.
• Performing stand up comedy in a vagina costume to confront racism and patriarchy.
• Kristina on her viral media appearance about dating white men with Asian fetishes.
• Confronting controversy through comedy; Kristina shares insight into her writing process.
• How she tackled the inefficiencies and desperation of the COVID-19 pandemic in ‘Sweatshop Overlord’ and ‘Auntie Sewing Squad’.
• How making fun of herself as an activist creates more ‘screenshot-able fodder’ for the right.
• How Kristina replenishes herself and the systems of care she has built into her projects.
• The importance of relearning and respecting the labor involved in our artwork.
• Targeting the root of the cause rather than simply being critical.
• Where Kristina gets inspiration from; her love-hate relationship with activism and obsession.
• Find out where you can watch ‘Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord’ until 28 November.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/kristina-wong

In today’s episode of the Not Real Art Podcast, guest host and prolific Los Angeles-based muralist Erin Yoshi speaks with Ashara Ekundayo about the power of joy-informed art for resistance and healing. Ashara is a Black feminist, an independent curator, an artist, and an interdisciplinary creative arts leader committed to an intersectional framework of social transformation that expands the influence and impact of arts and culture on racial and gender equity and environmental literacy, and more specifically one that necessitates a practice of recognizing joy in the midst of struggle. Tuning in, you’ll learn more about the work that Ashara does through her nonprofit, Artist as First Responder, which acknowledges that artists show up first in crisis and celebration to forge solutions, heal communities, and save lives through design, practice, invitation, and presentation. Ashara shares her mission to hold space for creative labor, to create beautiful narratives about joy and pleasure in a society so focused on the trauma-informed, and her belief in the power of art and education to create change by showing us opportunities for who we are and what we can be. You’ll also discover some of the other remarkable projects, platforms, and exhibitions that Ashara has created and contributed to over the years, as well as some of her favorite artists right now, so make sure to tune in today for this insightful and powerful conversation about the intersection between love, art, joy, and rage!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Ashara reflects on her earliest memories as a ‘gatherer’ around the arts and crafts table.
• How her parents introduced her to art and were formative influences on her practice.
• Hear about Ashara’s career trajectory, formal education, and early desire to be a curator.
• Learn more about Artist as First Responder (AAFR) and how it facilitates joy as a tool of resistance and a mechanism for healing communities.
• Ashara explains the six-point philanthropic and interactive arts platform of AAFR.
• The importance of celebrating artist’s work and arts labor as first responder work.
• How Ashara navigates the traditional arts world as a queer, BIPOC arts leader and creative. 
• Learn about the former Impact Hub Oakland, founded by seven artists, including Ashara.
• Ashara shares her belief that we are all born creative and her ongoing mission to hold and create space for creative labor.
• What she looks for in the artists she works with; honesty, curiosity, and enjoyment.
• What Ashara calls the artist ‘flake out factor’ and the importance of authentic commitment.
• How traveling has influenced her work and the perspective it has offered Ashara.
• Some of the priorities that have shifted in her personal life following the pandemic.
• Why she believes having grace and patience with ourselves and each other is the new norm.
• Discover the self-guided Black Joy StoryWindows exhibition in Downtown Oakland.
• Hear about BLATANT, a publication of AAFR, and Ashara’s ongoing conversation partnership with the Museum of the African Diaspora.
• Memorable conversations Ashara has had with Black women artists and cultural workers.
• Ashara on the power art has to create change; witnessing opportunities for what can be.
• How education goes hand-in-hand with creativity and the legacy of who we are.
• Artists to watch, including Tongo Eisen-Martin, Tiff Massey, and Zanele Muholi.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/ashara-ekundayo-and-erin-yoshi

Unfortunately, the art world can be flypaper for dysfunctional people, and we all know someone who has borne the brunt of that instability! For today’s show, a few artists have written in to tell their Art World Horror Stories, including Ed Whitmore, who shares how he was treated by a mentally unstable gallery owner who approached him to present a solo exhibition as an emerging artist. Caitlin Burnett tells us how a fire in a laundry room laid claim to all the art she had ever created, while Ruchetta Banjerly reflects on how vanity galleries scam artists with soul-crushing schemes, Sarah Phillips recounts the horror of a gallery curator that discounted the value of her paintings, and Alexander Augustus shares his feelings about unpaid internships, which are all too common in the art world! Tune in today for Volume 4 of Art World Horror Stories!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Ed Whitmore on how he lost money on an exhibition thanks to a dysfunctional gallery owner.
• Caitlin Burnett tells the horror story of how all the art she’d ever made was reduced to ash.
• Listen in as Ruchetta Banjerly recounts the terror of hidden artists’ representation fees.
• Ruchetta tells the story of her personal experience with a soul-crushing art scam in Delhi.
• Sarah Phillips from Brisbane describes her experience with a curator who told her the ‘story’ was more valuable than her paintings.
• Alexander Augustus shares his tale of exploitation at the hands of an unpaid internship.
• Ending on a positive note: the key lesson that artists have to advocate for themselves.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/art-world-horror-stories-vol-4

Today’s Art World Horror Stories are a mixed bag of tragedies and disasters that serve as cautionary tales to empower artists to protect themselves and hope for the best while planning for the worst, because you never know what is going to happen! For example, David Alexander Willis shares the story of painter, Jason Shawn Alexander, who had a show at Booth Gallery in New York City where a forklift was driven through one of his paintings. Yikes! In this episode, we share more horror stories of assholes doing asshole-y things, stolen intellectual property, and even a real-life haunted art venue. The stories you’ll hear in today’s episode are not read by the artists involved, but by an AI avatar, introducing an added element of spookiness, so make sure to tune in and enjoy!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Mikel Cirkus shares how Swatch Watches stole his intellectual property after a pitch.
• The lesson in Micheal’s story: do not give away your ideas, sign contracts, protect yourself!
• The horrifying comment that Diane Navarro received from a pretentious museum president.
• How his comment about “living artists” damaged Diane’s art career.
• Dan Monteavaro’s creepy tale of a haunted mural site in the old Howard Hughes Hangar.
• Ally Zeleter on the scams artists face, from contests with crazy submission fees to inadequate pay from curators.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/art-world-horror-stories-vol-3

Welcome to Volume 2 of Art World Horror Stories, where we share the stories we have collected from our larger network of artists and creators. These are intended as cautionary tales about how things can go wrong in the art world and beyond, and will hopefully prevent you from falling victim to the same horrors! Today’s stories come from two artists who share their accounts of the disrespect that artists are oftentimes subjected to when someone damages our artwork or insults our artistic integrity. In this episode, you’ll hear from Tara Vantapour, a multidisciplinary artist based in Paris, and OG low brow artist, Anthony Ausgang, about the contempt and ridicule they have endured at the hands of gallery curators and wealthy art collectors. In one, the artist walks away with new ground rules and, in the other, with $100 in cash. Make sure to tune in today to find out how these horror stories end!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today’s artists: Tara Vantapour and Anthony Ausgang.
• Tara shares an Art World Horror Story, which starts with a pre-pandemic exhibition in Paris.
• How the gallery disrespected Tara by ghosting her and refusing to return her artwork.
• How Tara believes her work has been ‘emotionally’ damaged by the art and fashion worlds.
• Another horror story about how a restaurant owner belittled Tara’s fashion design practice.
• Hear how these horror stories have inspired her to create ground rules to protect herself.
• Anthony’s Art World Horror Story that happened many years ago when he was an art installer.
• How a Warner Brothers’ executive ridiculed Anthony’s work by saying it wasn’t art.
• The contempt Anthony was subjected to when he was asked to install a Mark Kostabi shopping bag in the same executive’s home.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/art-world-horror-stories-vol-2

Today we are starting a new segment, something terrifying, something horrifying; introducing Art World Horror Stories! Over the last couple of weeks, we have been collecting stories from our larger network of artists and creators, intended as cautionary tales, or reminders about how wrong things can go in the world of art and beyond. Some of the time all the hard work and love you put into projects pays off, but sometimes the best-laid plans come to nothing, and the ship sinks in front of your eyes. Today's episode is the first of these and Sourdough kicks things off by talking about the events of 2014 when Crew West Studios almost saw through an amazing vision to oversee the painting of jumbo jets for Virgin Atlantic. Right before the plan really kicked into motion, the tragedy of the VSS Enterprise occurred, something that shook the whole of Virgin to its foundations, and unfortunately resulted in many ideas and initiatives being shelved or forgotten. To hear all about this, and a clear reminder of the lack of guarantees in life, listen in with us today for this segment of Art World Horror Stories!

Key Points From This Episode:

• The kinds of bad things that can happen to anyone: a lesson from 2020 and the pandemic. 
• Dreams at Crew West Studio of painting a jumbo jet!  
• Connecting with Pippa Lambert at ICM and pitching the idea to Virgin Atlantic.
• How the competition was going to work; voting for designs across different continents. 
• The great reception that the idea initially received at Red Dog and Virgin. 
• The scheduled meeting with the Virgin Atlantic CEO and the rising tide of excitement. 
• How tragedy struck on October 31st, 2014 with the crash of the VSS Enterprise. 
• The resultant shelving of the global art project that Crew West had envisaged.
• Accidents happen and circumstances change; best-laid plans can be devastated.   
• A reminder about counting blessings too soon, and staying focused on what really matters.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/art-world-horror-stories-virgin/

In this episode we welcome our original co-host, artist Man One, back to launch our new segment Gringo & The Man, where a middle-aged white dude (aka Scott “Sourdough” Power) and an O.G. Latino graffiti artist (aka Man One) talk about living in a world gone loco!

This premiere of Gringo & The Man takes NOT REAL ART back to its roots, to a time when Sourdough & Man One just hung out, talking about whatever they want, and having a good time.

Nothing is off-limits with Gringo & The Man! GenXers from Chicago and L.A. respectively, Gringo (aka Scott “Sourdough” Power ) & The Man (aka Man One) bring their devil-may-care attitude to discussing contemporary culture. Long time friends, Sourdough and Man One’s banter is what you'd expect from two dudes who grew up in The Eighties. (Warning: Gringo & The Man may not be appropriate for those easily triggered.)

In this first episode, the dos amigos discuss the curious name of their segment and wonder if anyone will understand the cultural reference. Man One shares more about gringos in Mexico and tells some hilarious stories from Spring Break. Then, they dive into Man One’s quest for an assistant or intern, and he talks about some of the character traits he looks for in those who help him. The wide-ranging conversation also touches on raising kids, the drawbacks of technology, and more of Man One’s tales from Mexico. We are so excited about this new project, so tune in today to hear it all!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Hear about Man One’s colorful family tree.
• What the typical gringo on vacation in Mexico looks like.
• Talking about how many people will understand the reference Gringo and the Man draws on.
• The importance of fucking shit up to shake things up.
• Brainstorming whether or not we should drink tequila during this segment.
• How older Mexican people view partnering with a gringo.
• Man One’s experience of going on Spring Break to Mexico with white people from his high school 
• A terrifying story of Google Translate gone wrong.
• So many people across Europe are polyglots.
• What we will do when Sourdough’s gringo privilege rears its head. 
• Find out whether Man One is a sentimental person.
• Hear about how Man One pays attention to detail.
• The criteria Man One looks for in an assistant or intern.  
• The catch 22 of hiring someone to help you with your art practice. 
• Hear about what a VA is and how this could help if you need to delegate tasks.
• Gaming is a whole world separate from the real world, and people are getting left behind.
• How Sourdough feels about technology and his children immersing themselves in it.
• Before, playing outside was cool, but now gaming is cool. 
• The difficult decision parents have to make when allowing their children to have social media.
• Technology is no longer viewed as a tool; it’s seen as entertainment.
• At the end of the day, it is about raising a mentally healthy child.
• Man One shares more stories from Mexico.
• We can now tell our wives we are going to record these episodes.

For more info, visit: https://notrealart.com/gringo-and-the-man

Although we may see what’s happening on the U.S-Mexican border on the news, how many of us truly understand the plight of people who are stuck there or those who have made it across but live in constant fear?

Daniel Garcia is a first-generation Mexican American artist and a 2021 NRA Grant Winner. Along with this, she is also an art educator and just an all-around incredible human being. In today’s episode, we hear about why Daniel is so passionate about the border and immigrant-related issues. Having grown up in California, a liberal state, she was not aware of just how dire things were at the border, and when she found out, she knew she could not stay quiet. We hear about her artistic process and what goes into her producing a piece of her moving work.

Daniela also works as a teacher, and she talks about what this is like, particularly during Covid, and how she balances it with her artistic practice. Having a job while you are an artist takes the pressure off what you create, but it also does take time away from creating. Our wide-ranging conversation also touches on rituals, capitalism, and what Daniela is currently working on. Tune in to hear it all!

For more info, visit the following: https://notrealart.com/daniela-garcia/

Key Points From This Episode:

•  Where Daniela was in Mexico recently and what the province she was in is like.

•  Insights into the farm Daniela’s family has in Mexico.

•  This was Daniela’s first grant that she applied for, and she won.

•  Where Daniela was when she found out that she won the grant.

•  Daniela’s artistic process and why she feels so passionate about shedding light on what is happening at the border.

•  There is so much money to be made off of what is happening with immigrants.

•  Why Daniela makes such non-confrontational work.

•  The symbolism that is present in Daniela’s work.

•  There are so many people who are hurt and traumatized and they are taking it out on others.

•  Hear about what gives Daniela the most hope.

•  If you buy into the capitalist idea, there is a winner takes all mentality.

•  The students Daniela is teaching and what her teaching philosophy is.

•  Difficulty Daniela had in the first year of teaching a balancing teaching and her art practice.

•  What Daniela’s art production process looks like.

•  How Daniela markets her work and how she uses social media.

•  Daniela’s thinking around how she prices her work.

•  What Daniela is currently working on; exploring rituals. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Daniela Garcia — https://www.danigarciaart.com/

Daniela Garcia Hamilton on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/dahnniii/

Man One — http://www.manone.com/

Man One on Twitter — https://twitter.com/ManOneArt

Scott “Sourdough” Power — https://www.instagram.com/sourdoughpower/

Not Real Art — https://notrealart.com/

Not Real Art School — https://school.notrealart.com/

Not Real Art on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/notrealartworld/

On today's show, Sourdough encourage listeners to call in and leave messages on the hotline: 833-668-7325

Have you ever wondered how certain people and companies achieve larger-than-life status? Well, today’s guest has some theories about what legends are made of, with empirical evidence to back them up!

International brand consultant Gair Maxwell has worked with some of the world’s most dynamic organizations, including Apple, Caterpillar, NAPA, and Virginia Tech. He has also shared conference stages with some of the world’s biggest business icons, such as Richard Branson and Gene Simmons, delivering 80 to 90 presentations every year with global representation from speaker bureaus in Canada and Mexico.

A former broadcaster, Gair racked up over 10,000 interviews and more than 30,000 broadcasts in an award-winning radio and television career in his native country of Canada. Today, he is a global authority for helping organizations create iconic brands that attract legions of customers and top talent.

In this episode, Gair and Sourdough bond over their mural love for Van Halen, and Gair shares some stories about the people, companies, and communities that he has encountered who were determined to change the rules and compete on their terms. You’ll learn how they are creating raving fans, attracting top talent, enjoying substantial growth, and establishing themselves as what Gair defines as a Category of One.

Fundamentally, Gair believes that you can’t create a legend without a story. Deep down, you have to come to grips with your own story and truly live it! Tune in today for some poignant advice on how to do just that.

For more info, visit here: https://notrealart.com/gair-maxwell/

Key Points From This Episode:

•   Gair emphasizes the power of virtual technology like Zoom, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

•   When Gair’s love for Van Halen started and why he calls them the “soundtrack of his life.”

•   The importance of communicating through feeling in a data-driven, KPI-obsessed society.

•   How to live up to your potential by understanding that everyone has a story to tell.

•   Gair reflects on his career journey and his lifelong fascination with all things ‘legendary’.

•   Why he believes that a story either happens to you or you have to make one happen.

•   The origin of legends and how to decode their enduring appeal to create great brands.

•   Find out how Gair got into TV and radio broadcasting in Canada in the first place.

•   His transition from broadcasting to business; creating a story grounded in emotional truth.

•   Why your story has to be about more than “making a buck” if you want to build a legacy.

•   Gair highlights the value of embracing the wisdom of uncertainty.

•   Scott explains to Gair where his pseudonym, Sourdough, comes from.

•   Setting yourself apart as an essential component of success; the enduring value of curiosity.

•   Why the human qualities and characteristics of someone legendary are so subjective.

•   The importance of embracing a growth mindset; be unafraid to experiment!

•   How Gair believes mortality intersects with legacy; how do you want to be remembered?

•   The role that golf has played in Gair’s life and what it taught him, beyond the obvious.

•   Learn about Gair’s upcoming book, Big Little Legends, being released in November 2021.

•   How the COVID-19 pandemic has only increased consumers’ appetites for authenticity.

•   Gair’s advice for big businesses struggling with authenticity: ask yourself, who are you beyond your goods and services?

•   How Nike and Starbucks stood the test of time by being more than sneakers and coffee.

•   Why Gair believes it isn’t metrics and logic that makes a business a success; it’s art.

•   The importance and opportunity of “putting a human face in the digital space.”

•   Gair reiterates the value of curiosity; how are legends created, why does it matter, and what does it mean to you?

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Gair Maxwell — https://www.gairmaxwell.com/

Gair Maxwell on Twitter — https://twitter.com/GairMaxwell

Gair Maxwell on LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/gairmaxwell/

Gair Maxwell on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/gairmaxwell/

The Authentic Swing — https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Swing-Notes-Writing-First/dp/1936891131

Big Little Legends — https://www.gairmaxwell.com/biglittlelegends

Touching Greatness — https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Greatness-Ted-Sobel/dp/1606795430

Mindset — https://www.amazon.com/Mindset-Psychology-Carol-S-Dweck/dp/0345472322

Page Two Publishing — https://pagetwo.com/

Not Real Art — https://www.notrealart.com/

Scott “Sourdough” Power — https://www.notarealartist.com/

MWER6MfoMWccLE1gUUug