Michaela Yearwood-Dan is one of the buzziest young painters working today. This summer, her emergence as a new market star culminated in a major solo show at Hauser & Wirth in London. On this episode of The Artsy Podcast, Yearwood-Dan joins Artsy’s Casey Lesser for a conversation about her remarkable trajectory, the challenges that young artists face today, and how her new exhibition models ways for galleries to be more welcoming. 

Plus, Artsy editors Arun Kakar and Olivia Horn share their summer reading and viewing recommendations and discuss what they’ve learned about the art market so far this year. 

About our guest:

Throughout paintings, works on paper, ceramics, and site-specific mural and sound installations, Michaela Yearwood-Dan (B. 1994, London) endeavors to build spaces of community, abundance, and joy. Yearwood-Dan’s unique visual language intertwines lines of text with botanical motifs and draws on a diverse range of influences, including Blackness, queerness, femininity, and healing rituals. 

Exhibitions, books, and artists mentioned:

Michaela Yearwood-Dan, “No Time for Despair” at Hauser & Wirth

“Hope is a dangerous thing” at P.P.O.W

Ithell Colquhoun and Edward Burra at Tate Britain

Sheida Soleimani, “Panjereh” at International Center of Photography

“A Month in the Country” by J.L. Carr

“Yoko: A Biography” by David Sheff 

Foundations 2025

Kuldeep Singh

Rebekah Rubalcava

Noah Davis

Danielle McKinney

Related reading:

The Artsy Vanguard 2022: Michaela Yearwood-Dan

Contemporary Artists Are Spellbound by the History of Sex Magic

7 Artists to Follow at Foundations 2025

This spring, a wave of AI-generated imagery in the style of Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli flooded social media. The trend renewed debate about how AI affects the way we make and experience art. On this episode of The Artsy Podcast, we tackle some of those questions with New Yorker staff writer Kyle Chayka, whose book Filterworld explores the impact of online algorithms on popular culture. We discuss the homogenizing effects of social media, the evolving role of curators, and the importance of cultivating personal taste at a time when culture is mediated by machines. 

Plus, Artsy editors Casey Lesser and Arun Kakar share insights on the Chinese art market from Arun’s recent visit to Beijing and preview their upcoming trip to Art Basel.

Kyle Chayka is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where he writes a column about the intersections of digital technology and popular culture. He is the author of Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture.

Key topics: AI art, ChatGPT, algorithms, social media, curation, tastemaking

Related reading:

Gallery Weekend Beijing 2025 Defies Market Gloom with Risk and Vibrancy

30 Artists Defining Queer Art Now

The Limits of A.I.-Generated Miyazaki

Why AI Art Is Winning over Young Collectors

Marina Abramović built her career by testing the limits of the body. Now, she’s testing what digital art can do. On this episode of The Artsy Podcast, the groundbreaking performance artist joins us for a conversation about launching her new NFT project, bringing mindfulness to the digital realm, and using her work to reach across generational divides. 

Plus, Artsy editors Casey Lesser and Arun Kakar break down everything you need to know about Frieze Week in New York—a period packed with art fairs, gallery openings, and can’t-miss museum shows.

About our guest:

Marina Abramović is perhaps the most famous performance artist working today. Employing duration, pain, danger, exhaustion, and viewer participation, she works at extremes and complicates the relationship between art and audience. Abramović exhibited at Documenta in 1977, 1982, and 1992 and at the Venice Biennale in 1976 and 1997, when she was awarded the Golden Lion. In her famous 2010 Museum of Modern Art retrospective, “The Artist Is Present,” visitors sat across from Abramović in silent communion. More recently, she became the first woman artist to stage a solo exhibition in the Royal Academy’s main galleries in the institution’s 255-year history. Abramović is the founder of the Marina Abramović Institute, which promotes performance art globally.

Key topics: NFTs, digital art, performance art, the future of museums, advice for young artists, Frieze New York

Fairs and exhibitions mentioned:

• Frieze New York: May 7th–11th at The Shed
• TEFAF New York: May 9th–13th at Park Avenue Armory
• NADA New York: May 7th–11th at the Starrett-Lehigh Building
• Future Fair: May 7th–10th at Chelsea Industrial
• 1-54 New York: May 8th–11th at Halo
• Esther II: May 6th–10th at the Estonian House
• Michael Armitage, “Crucible” at David Zwirner: opening May 8th
• Antonia Showering, “In Line” at Timothy Taylor: opening May 8th 
• Élise Peroi, “For Thirsting Flowers” at Carvalho Park: through May 23rd
• The Frick Collection
• Jack Whitten, “The Messenger” at MoMA: through August 2nd 

Related reading:

The Legacy of Marina Abramović’s “The Artist Is Present” Lives On with New Generations of Artists

How Digital Art Has Fared Since the NFT Boom

In 1971, Linda Nochlin’s groundbreaking essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” posed a provocative question about the role of gender in art history. Today, we know that there have been great women artists across time and cultures—but, too often, their greatness isn’t recognized by the art market.

Art historian Katy Hessel visits The Artsy Podcast for a special Women’s History Month episode to discuss the importance of talking about women’s representation in the art world, the progress that has been made towards gender parity, and the contemporary women artists she’s watching now.

Plus, Artsy editors Casey Lesser and Arun Kakar discuss the month’s art news, including the scene at TEFAF, developments in AI artwork, and standout exhibitions in London, Austin, and Hong Kong. 

Katy Hessel is an art historian, curator, broadcaster, and author of The Story of Art without Men. Her upcoming book How to Live an Artful Life is out in November.

Key topics:

• Gender equality in the art world
• Contemporary women artists
• How to start collecting art

Read:

5 Outstanding Artworks at TEFAF Maastricht 2025

Why AI Art Is Winning over Young Collectors

These 5 Women-Led Galleries Are Championing Overlooked Women Artists

Follow the artists Katy mentioned in the Artsy app:

• Alice Neel
• Käthe Kollwitz
• Guerilla Girls
• Mickalene Thomas
• Hilma af Klint
• Julie Mehretu
• Sarah Sze
• Katharina Grosse
• Jenny Saville
• Howardena Pindell
• Flora Yukhnovich
• Antonia Showering
• Kate Dunn
• Somaya Critchlow
• Ella Walker
• Charlotte Edey
• Sahara Longe
• Christina Kimeze
• Michaela Yearwood-Dan
• Anne Rothenstein
• Pauline Boty
• Simone Kennedy Doig
• Mary Stephenson
• Caroline Walker
• Chantal Joffe