The Artcast

Episode 5: Tracey Emin, A Fortnight of Tears at The White Cube, Bermondsey until 6th April. Discussed by Caz Murray, Vikki Kosmalska & Laura Lennard.

Tracey Emin, the Turner Prize nominee, original enfant terrible of the 90s art world, and core member of the YBAs: she’s an artist we’re all familiar with. An artist we think we all know. But her current exhibition at The White Cube in Bermondsey had us rethinking both Emin and her artistic output. 

A Fortnight of Tears explores the loss experienced by the artist through various life changing events. It provoked strong reactions and really divided opinion amongst Team Artcast. Tune in to hear the debate. 

We question:

Is it limiting for an artists’ work to be so thoroughly entwined with their autobiography? 

Is there a place for expressionist painting in contemporary art?

Should Emin be celebrated for giving voice to inherently female narratives on such a grand scale, or is it distasteful to commercialise her private pain? 

A phenomenally popular, free exhibition: there is no doubt that Emin is drawing in the crowds. Let us know what you thought:

Email us: [email protected]
DM or follow us on Instagram: @theartcast  

Thank you, as always, to the incredible Nat Witts for our jingle, and to the brilliant Jonny Lennard for our editing.

Episode 4: A Tate Modern Two Parter: Pierre Bonnard and Dorothea Tanning. With Caz Murray, Vikki Kosmalska & Laura Lennard

This week we’ve tasked ourselves with two reviews. 

First up, Pierre Bonnard, a bit of a Marmite Modernist. He was both acclaimed by Henri Matisse as one of the greatest colourists of all time, and derided by Pablo Picasso who could not abide his work at all. Tune in to hear which camp we’re in and what we made of all that unadulterated colour.

Secondly, we all embarked upon an enduring love of Surrealist artist, Dorothea Tanning. A veritable ‘Renaissance Woman’ who confidently straddles a plethora of artistic mediums throughout her career.

Both exhibitions are on at the Tate Modern. 

If you like what you hear, please rate review and subscribe! 

As always, we’d love to hear from you:

Email us: [email protected]
DM or follow us on Instagram: @theartcast  

Thank you, as always, to the incredible Nat Witts for our jingle, and to the brilliant Jonny Lennard for our editing.

Episode 3: Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams at the V&A. Discussed by Laura Lennard, Caz Murray & Vikki Kosmalska

The highly anticipated Christian Dior exhibition at the V&A has already sold out! But if you haven’t got a ticket yet don't despair - there are two things that you can do: 

1) Keep an eye out for extended dates...
2) Listen to this week’s episode of The Artcast where we do our utmost to recreate it for you!

Whether you like to wear your ballgown to the supermarket like our resident clothes horse Vikki, or you're more interested in the making of a garment like crafty old Caz, there is something there for everyone. 

If you’re one of the lucky people who got a ticket to the show let us know what you thought! 
Email us: [email protected]
DM or follow us on Instagram: @theartcast  

Thank you, as always, to the incredible Nat Witts for our jingle, and to the brilliant Jonny Lennard for our editing. 

Episode 2: Bill Viola / Michelangelo: Life, Death, Rebirth at the Royal Academy. Discussed by Laura Lennard, Caz Murray & Vikki Kosmalska

The RA’s incredibly immersive exhibition brings together works by the iconic Renaissance Man, Michelangelo, and the Modern video artist, Bill Viola. 

In an extraordinary mash up of mediums, we see incredibly worked, personal, 15th century draughtsmanship on the one hand, and highly staged, epic, contemporary videography on the other. 

Does this juxtaposition open up an interesting dialogue? Or are the artists doomed to partake in a predetermined, and largely limiting contest of skill? 

Both artists undoubtedly grapple with weighty concerns: human mortality, the inevitability of death, rebirth. We explore our own personal reactions to these universal themes and assess what has been gained or lost from this artistic pairing. 

In lighter news, we play dead artist blind date, and as always loot our favourite works from the exhibition for our imaginary collections. 

Thank you to the incredible Nat Witts for our jingle, and to the brilliant Jonny Lennard for our editing. 

Episode 1: Reimagining Captain Cook: Pacific Perspectives at the British Museum. Discussed by Laura Lennard, Caz Murray & Vikki Kosmalska.

Welcome to series two! We’re back, reviewing a free exhibition at the British Museum: Reimagining Captain Cook: Pacific Perspectives.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/reimagining_captain_cook.aspx 

It’s 250 years since Captain Cook first set sail for the Pacific, but what does his legacy mean to you? Is he a figurehead of enlightenment exploration and progression or an enabler of colonisation and oppression? 

We focus on the British Museum’s display of 14 contemporary artworks by Pacific Island artists, all of which are concerned with Cook and his legacy. These incredible works open up Pacific perspectives and invite us to re-imagine Captain Cook’s legacy, raising questions around ritual, possession, (mis)understanding and what it means to be ‘civilised’.

Works discussed in detail:
Taking Possession: Lono (2017) by Lisa Reihana
https://www.milfordgalleries.co.nz/dunedin/work/18526-Taking-Possession-Lono-30220-31380-34845

Civilised #12 (2008) by Michael Cook
https://ocula.com/art-galleries/this-is-no-fantasy-dianne-tanzer-gallery/artworks/michael-cook/civilised-12/

Cook (1981) by Aloi Pilioko

Cookie in the Cook Islands (2008) by Michel Tuffery
https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?assetId=841388001&objectId=3294927&partId=1

In other Art News, Walthamstow Correspondent, Caz Murray introduces Waltham Forrest as the inaugural London Borough of Culture, and Laura ‘Poirot’ Lennard investigates the case of the stollen Michelangelo... 

Thank you to Ataraiti Waretini for her invaluable contributions, Nat Witts for our jingle and to our Editor Jonny Lennard for managing to make sense of our ramblings. 

Email us: [email protected]
DM us on Instagram: @theartcast 

The Artcast: Series 2 Trailer with Laura Lennard, Vikki Kosmalska and Caz Murray

Your fortnightly arts review podcast is back, with a new series launching on 5th February! Tune in for more London-based exhibition reviews, international art news and general chit chat. 

Full season schedule below:

5th February: Reimagining Captain Cook: Pacific Perspectives at the British Museum, 29 November 2018 – 4 August 2019. FREE EXHIBITION.

19th February: Bill Viola / Michelangelo: Life, Death, Rebirth at the Royal Academy, 26 January — 31 March 2019.

5th March: Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams at the V&A, 2 February – 14 July 2019.

19th March: Dorothea Tanning, 27 February – 9 June 2019, and Pierre Bonnard: The Colour of Memory, 23 January – 6 May 2019, both on at the Tate Modern.

2nd April: Morag Keil: Moarg Kiel at the ICA, 30th January - 14th April 2019.

16th April: The Renaissance Nude at the Royal Academy: 3rd March - 2nd June 2019.

Huge thanks to our long-suffering Editor, Jonny Lennard, and to our Jazz Momma, Nat Witts. 

Let us know what you think of the episodes or exhibitions reviewed so far. We’re: [email protected] and @theartcast on Instagram.

Episode 6: An Extended Christmas Special on Modern Couples: Art, Intimacy and the Avant-Garde at the Barbican. Discussed by Laura Lennard, Caz Murray & Vikki Kosmalska.

For our last episode of the season we’ve indulged in a jam-packed discussion of a whole host of modern artists including Auguste Rodin, Marcel Duchamp, Virginia Woolf, Man Ray, Georgia O’Keeffe, Hannah Hoch and many many more! 

The Barbican’s vast exhibition focuses on Modern Art and Modern Love: bringing together works by a plethora of modern artists of various sexualities, races and genders. It focuses on collaboration rather than any singular, isolated genius, and as a result it presents a rich kaleidoscope of artists and works. 

We delve into the amorous modern avant-garde and ponder: Who gets the credit when a couple collaborates? Who is the artist and who is the muse? How intimate is too intimate when it comes to capturing your lover in a work of art? And what would the repercussions be if you filled your instagram feed with modernist eroticism?

Artworks referenced in the show below:

The Two Friends, Tamara de Lempicka: https://theartstack.com/artist/tamara-de-lempicka-lempicka/two-friends-9

Negro Anthology (1934), edited by Nancy Cunard: https://www.pbagalleries.com/view-auctions/catalog/id/157/lot/43603/Negro-Anthology-Made-by-Nancy-Cunard-1931-1933

Doll of Alma Mahler(1918), commissioned by Oskar Kokoschka from Hermine Moos: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/alma-doll.jpg

Lee Miller with a Cast of her Torso, Man Ray: https://theartiscapegallery.com/modern-couples-art-intimacy-and-the-avant-garde-at-the-barbican-review/19-roland-penrose-lee-miller-with-a-cast-of-her-torso-downshire-hill-london-england-1940-roland-penrose-estate

Images taken on Fire Island (1930s-40s), Pajama: http://www.pineshistory.org/art/paul-cadmus-jared-margaret-french-art-history/

 The Embrace / I am Beautiful (1882), Auguste Rodin: http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/collections/sculptures/i-am-beautiful

The Bride Pandora (1927), Hannah Hoch: http://faculty.washington.edu/dillon/rhethtml/satire/braut.html

Not a Shoe (1950), Marcel Duchamp: http://www.thehistorialist.com/2014/10/1950-marcel-duchamp-says-not-shoe.html

Let us know what you think of the exhibiton or of the episode! We’re: [email protected] and @theartcast on Instagram.

A gigantic THANK YOU to Nat Witts for our jazzy jingle, and to Jonny Lennard for being such a patient and dedicated Editor throughout.

Episode 5: Klimt/ Schiele at the Royal Academy: should an artist’s immoral life choices affect our viewing of their work, and what is the difference between art and pornography? Discussed by Laura Lennard, Caz Murray & Vikki Kosmalska.

One hundred years on from the deaths of two giants of Viennese art, Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, the RA brings rare works on paper by both these artists to London: an exhibition that Laura in particular has been ridiculously excited about! 

But both artists were famed for their eroticism and for their focus on the female nude, and both have elements in their biography that are uncomfortable for any 21st century feminist. As you can imagine, this gave us lots of talking points. Including: the representation of women; female sexuality; difficult artist biographies; the difference between art and pornography; and the moral obligations of our art institutions. 

With all that in mind, are we still allowed to love the artworks?

Let us know what you think, [email protected] and instagram @theartcast.

As always special thanks to Nat Witts for our awesome jingle and to Jonny Lennard, our long-suffering editor.

Episode 4: Anni Albers at the Tate Modern and Art made by Algorithms. Discussed by Laura Lennard, Caz Murray & Vikki Kosmalska.

We’re enormously excited that the Tate Modern have invested in a major retrospective to showcase the oft overlooked artist Anni Albers. They have highlighted her as a ‘pivotal’ influence within modern art and introduced her works to whole raft of new viewers. A talented female artist getting some long overdue recognition? Hurray!!!

But was the exhibition everything we hoped it would be...? Well on that, we’re divided.

We discuss Albers’ weaving based practice and question distinctions between art and craft, the ancient and the modern, mass-production and the artist’s hand. 

Resident textile artist / ardent knitter Cazzy M was inspired enough to pitch a whole new yarn-based reality TV show! But does Anni Albers get your vote of approval? Let us know: [email protected], or @theartcast on instagram.

**Bonus arts news feature on the first ever algorithm made art work to be sold at auction**

As always, special thanks to Nat Witts for our awesome jingle and to Jonny Lennard, our long-suffering editor.

Episode 3: Space Shifters at the Hayward Gallery, Jenny Saville and Banksy's Auction Antics discussed by Laura Lennard, Caz Murray & Vikki Kosmalska.

We're back at the Hayward Gallery for this week's episode, having a good old explore of their highly experiential exhibition; Space Shifters. This is a brilliant exhibition to visit with friends and family because the interactive works will get you discovering, talking and playing in the gallery space whatever your age.

It had us questioning: how formal should the gallery space be?

Is there a 'correct' way to experience art?

What would you do in a gallery space if no-one was watching?

Join us to explore these weighty issues and more including Banksy's shredder and Jenny Saville breaking records.

Let us know what you think, [email protected] and instagram @theartcast.

As always special thanks to Nat Witts for our awesome jingle and Jonny Lennard our editor.