By The Way: A Contemporary Art News Podcast

Daniel Birnbaum, Director of Moderna Museet in Stockholm leaves to join the virtual reality company Acute Art based in London. Eric and Ando discuss the future of VR technology in art and the role it already has played. We are also announcing that Cultural Bandwidth has invited 4 new podcasts to the platform. The Artword, The Conversation (Art Podcast), Art Attack W/ Lizy Dastin and Justin Bua, and the Danish language podcast Lydkunst. Find out more and links to the podcasts on Cultural Bandwidth.

It finally has come to Eric and Ando talking about Instagram. Take about 5 minutes to watch the video clip in the links below to get a better understanding of what we are discussing today. Audiences are more comfortable viewing and buying art via their phones than ever before. Why would there not be curators creating exhibitions with that interaction in mind? A trend of “MADE-FOR-INSTAGRAM” exhibitions are trying to change the way we engage with our traditional institutions.

Recently, the artist Anish Kapoor filed a lawsuit against the NRA over the use of one of his most famous work in a recruitment campaign. For our longtime listeners, I think you might find it Eric and Ando’s opinions on the story surprising. And as always, send us your opinion to the stories that we cover here at By The Way. 

Back with a vengeance is BTW with “52 & They Art All Against You”. Listen to the discussion on what may become the largest US public art project ever. A political Super Pac launched a crowdfunding 52 billboards by major contemporary artists.

We follow up on a few stories in this By The Way Mini-episode titled Returned, Removed, and Yippee Ki Yay MotherFucker. See you back in a few weeks for the next full episode.  

Join Eric Wall and Ando again as they discuss the basis' of the lawsuit that accuses Jeff Koons and Gagosian Gallery of running a "Ponzi-like scheme". We talk a little about how editions are works are produced, the difference between an art investor and an art collector, is Jeff Koons an artist or manufacture of art, and he is using his current collector's money as interest-free loans. Hope you enjoy the bashing of Jeff Koons in this episode. 

On this Mini-episode of By The Way: A Contemporary Art News Podcast Eric talks about Postmasters Gallery NYC and their recent Patreon campaign strategy. He has his doubts, but what do you think?  By The Way, also wants to give a shout out to The Conversation Art Podcast, as Jenny Danielsson, our co-host from episode #11 Los Angeles and Shrinkage In The Art Market was interviewed. They are making a great podcast and you all should go take a listen.

By The Way, welcomes guest Jenny Danielsson. Jenny shares the news about the recent firing of Helen Molesworth at LA’s MOCA. Then they speculate what might have led to the firing. Eric then shares the most recent “health report” of the art market.

News from the art world does not stop when we are unable to bring it to you on By The Way: A Contemporary Art News Podcast. Many of the stories that we discuss on BTW continue to evolve after the release of an episode. Those of us here at Cultural Bandwidth have decided to introduce By The Way Mini-episodes. These are short episodes that will update all you the listeners on all those stories. 

The Obama’s National Portraits were revealed & the gossipy side of the internet was a buzz. On this episode, Ando & Eric discuss the good, the bad, & crazy surrounding these two interesting paintings. Dive into the history of The National Portrait Gallery. A bizarre & racist interpretation. The most important is topic though is who should be commissioned Donald Trump’s portrait?

Eric and Ando take a trip around the world in this episode. They discuss an Iranian contemporary art gallerist facing a jail time. The street artist Invader and his tasteless placement of his works in the country of Bhutan. Lastly, we discuss a legal case in France, where Facebook is being charged with limiting the freedom of expression of a school teacher. The teacher charges that Facebook deleted his account when he posted Gustave Courbet’s The Origin of the World (1866).

Today Eric and Ando blaze through 4 topics. Pussy Riot seeks asylum in Sweden, and the Guggenheim offers Donald Trump a golden toilet by Maurizio Cattelan. Topics become more serious when they bring up Nan Goldin and the opioid crisis in the US. Goldin calls on her fellow artists and art institutions to resist the Sackler Family and Purdue Pharma. What would be an episode BTW without an interjection of Jeff Koons. We discuss how he wants to "honor" of the victims of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.

Is the Contemporary art world growing or shrinking? Are there more or less opportunities for artists today than in past decades? What is the future gallery model? In this episode Eric and Ando discuss new exhibition models that are emerging and if any of them can sustain

How could we not talk about this most recent Christie’s contemporary art auction? The record breaking painting "by" Leonardo da Vinci titled Salvator Mundi sold for $450,312,500. We aren’t talking about the obvious talking points, instead we go deeper into the painting’s history. The guy who used to own Salvator Mundi was imprisoned in the 1990’s for contract killing of a rival. This episode's show notes are jam packed, so follow the links down the rabbit hole if you dare.

It finally has come to Eric and Ando talking about Instagram. Take about 5 minutes to watch the video clip in the links below to get a better understanding of what we are discussing today. Audiences are more comfortable viewing and buying art via their phones than ever before. Why would there not be curators creating exhibitions with that interaction in mind? A trend of “MADE-FOR-INSTAGRAM” exhibitions are trying to change the way we engage with our traditional institutions.