Seeing Color

Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well. I want to first say my heart goes out to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas community following the tragic shooting that occurred on December 6th. Through the podcast, I had the privilege of connecting with many at UNLV and my thoughts are with you all. It's important to acknowledge that while prayers and sympathies are extended, they can only do so much in the face of the ongoing issues surrounding gun violence and the accessibility of firearms. This recent event is but one of the many somber reminders of the urgent need for meaningful change in gun control. How exactly to do this I myself am still figuring out in a country still glorifying guns. This incident ties into some of the concerns I’ll be discussing with this week's guest, Ali Fathollahi, an Iranian artist currently residing in Las Vegas. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak with Ali's wife, Nanda, and you can listen to that conversation as well. Ali holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and went to the Azad University of Art and Architecture in Tehran, Iran for his Bachelor of Arts and his first Master of Fine Arts. Ali works in a wide variety of mediums, such as sculpture, light, and performance. In recent years, his work has critically examined the contemporary obsession with "Survivalism," both as a lifestyle and an ideology, often driven by fear and nostalgia. During our conversation, we delve into topics such as the challenges of language, the use of humor as a coping mechanism, and how pop culture influences our fascination with survival kits. As always, stay safe and healthy and I hope you enjoy this. Photo by Mikayla Whitmore.

Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well. Winter is upon us. Classes are almost for me and I am looking forward to the holiday season. For this week, I had a wonderful chat with Eri King, an interdisciplinary artist working in various modes such as installation, sculpture, textiles, painting, drawing, video, sound, and performance. Born in Japan and growing up in Las Vegas, Eri fell into her art career while attending the University of Las Vegas, where she received a concentration in Studio Art and Art History, before completing her MFA at Hunter College in 2018. Eri and I had a ton of overlap within our art circles and it was great to learn more about her and her work. We discuss finding and creating art communities in affordable spaces, holding zen in Hot Cheetos, having Beyonce as Hunter College's neighbor, and secret paintings. As always, stay safe and healthy and I hope you enjoy this.

Hey everyone. I hope you are ready for the long weekend with friends and family. Maybe catch up on sleep? I know I’m totally ready to sleep some more if I can. In the meantime, I’ve got you covered with this week’s episode as I talk with Ashley Hairston Doughty. Ashley, currently an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is a visual storyteller, explaining personal experiences through verbal and visual language. Ashley’s research on BIPOC design pedagogy was published in the award-winning Black, Brown + Latinx Graphic Design Educators by Princeton Architectural Press in 2021. She holds a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. We had a quick chat about how moving around the US has impacted Ashley’s work, what is visual communications, and how motherhood has affected and influenced her current project. As always, stay safe and healthy, and I hope you enjoy this.

Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well wherever you are. This week I have Nanda Sharif-pour, a multi-disciplinary artist residing and working in Las Vegas, Nevada. Nanda holds a B.A. in Graphic Design and two M.F.A. degrees, one from Azad University of Art and Architecture in Tehran/Iran, and the other from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Nanda’s practice encompasses sculpture, video, and installations that explores the relationship between the modern human and nature. In our discussion, we hear Nanda’s story of coming to the US from Iran, thinking about the memories that live within us, and how plants bring peace and joy to our lives. As always, stay safe and healthy and I hope you enjoy this.

Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well. These recent days have been shrouded in a somber tone, although perhaps it has always been. I am both saddened and angered by what is happening in the Middle East. As a method to cope through it all, I am trying to keep busy and seek solace in my daily activities. Wherever you are, I hope you are finding your own ways to navigate this insane situation. With that all said, today I am interviewing Quindo Miller. Quindo spent their formative years in Guam before moving to Las Vegas. They earned a BFA at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and explores isolation, rituals, and repetition through the medium of painting, drawing, installation, video, and sound. They have exhibited at venues such as the Goldwell Open Air Museum, 5th Wall Gallery, La Matadora Gallery, and the Las Vegas Contemporary Art Center. Our discussions lead us to empty tarot cards, musing about art residencies, the process of archiving everything, and documenting a sense of place. So please, wherever you are, be safe, take care of yourself, and I hope you enjoy this.

Hello everyone. I hope you are doing well. We are on to the second episode of this fall season, this time with Noelle Garcia. Based in the Chicago area, Noelle is an artist and educator who focuses on themes of identity, family history, and recovered narratives in her work. She is an indigenous artist from the Klamath and Paiute tribes. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Noelle has earned awards and fellowships at various institutions such as the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, the Nevada Arts Council, the Illinois Arts Council, and the American Indian Graduate Center. I had a good time re-listening to our conversation as we discussed how motherhood informed Noelle’s beadwork, the ownership of stories, and deciding who to sell one’s trauma to. As usual, relax and I hope you enjoy this.

Hey everyone. Wow, it has been a while since my last episode. Life kinda happened and I just needed another break to deal with some moving and life changes. I’m back with 10 new episodes that will be released over the course of the coming year in conjunction with local Las Vegas artists. A few things about my life since. I started doing some VR with Unreal and I was able to show it in this year's Ars Electronica. At the same time, I got to travel around a bit in Austria with my parents. Just two weeks ago, I traveled back to China for my Ph.D. in Computational Media and Arts, which I talked a bit about with my guest today, Krystal Ramirez. Krystal is an interdisciplinary artist and educator from Las Vegas, Nevada. Her practice focuses on our relationship with places of reverence and devotion. She has a BFA in Photography and Studio Art from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada and she recently received her MFA in Art Practice from Stanford University. She has shown in museums and galleries throughout the United States, including the Nevada Museum of Art (Reno, NV), Barrick Museum of Art (Las Vegas, NV), NMSU Art Museum (Las Cruces, NM), SOMArts (San Francisco, CA), and Gallery 400 (Chicago, IL.) Through our conversation, we discussed our interests in photography, the instability of language, and the possibility of working with our parents in art. As always, stay safe, and relax, and I hope you enjoy this.

Hey everyone. Happy lunar new year. It is the year of the bunny, so to all those bunnies out there, I wish you the best and most prosperous year. I was busy these past few days transferring my visa in Hong Kong. Lots of changes happening as I will be moving north an hour to Guangzhou in a few weeks. But anyway, enough about me. I have a wonderful guest to introduce today, Yamu Wang, an artist interested in examining subjectivity and its construct, often informed by queer discourses, by using her personal experiences and found cultural materials as case studies. Yamu mainly works with language, both as media and subject matter, in part because it conditions her very being. She received a BA in Western and Chinese Literatures from the National Taiwan University and an MA in Fine Arts from Zurich University of the Arts. Yamu also served as a fellow in the Home Workspace Program from 2019-20 at Ashkal Alwan, the Lebanese Association for Plastic Art. I met Yamu through an online art residency called Artists for Artists and she was one of the many wonderful connections I made during that time. Our conversation here took many interesting turns as we explored ideas of an Asian diaspora, practice versus theory, stepping outside oneself, and why we do art. So sit back, relax, and happy new year.

Hi everyone. It has been a while since I last released an episode. Sorry for the long pause. I just needed a brief break to get some mental rest. It has been a crazy year with lots of changes for me both personally and professionally. After the brief pause, I got back some extra energy and will be releasing a few more episodes periodically over the next few months. I will do my best to keep up the bi-weekly schedule but I hope you understand if the episodes deviate in schedule a bit here and there. Anyway, with that out of the way, I would like to introduce my guest for today, Teresa Flores, an interdisciplinary artist whose work examines identity and wellness and often takes place in the public sphere and incorporates civic engagement. Teresa studied at CSU Fresno and Fresno City College, and holds an MFA in Public Practice from Otis College of Art and Design. Her work responds to the consumption and accessibility of food, culture, and art in suburban and urban spaces. I recorded this episode a while back right before I took a break. Teresa was so kind as to still let me release our conversation. I smiled as I listened to our discussions meander around the pronunciation of names, creating fancy quesadillas, and doing yoga in unexpected places. As always, sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy this.

Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well. I got a wonderful episode to share with you today as I speak with Aram Han Sifuentes, a fiber and social practice artist, writer, and educator who works to center immigrant and disenfranchised communities. Her work often revolves around skill sharing, specifically sewing techniques, to create multiethnic and intergenerational sewing circles, which become a place for empowerment, subversion, and protest. Aram got her BA in Art and Latin American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley and an MFA in Fiber and Material Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she is currently an Associate Professor Adjunct. Aram’s energy is infectious and I found myself laughing a lot with her in our discussion as we chatted about growing up in rural California, protest banners, voting rights, and political literacy among immigrant communities. Aram also just opened with a solo show at moCa Cleveland, so go check it out if you are in the area, something I would like to be able to see before it closes in the summer. Otherwise, sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy this.

Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well! Today I have the lovely Yara El-Sherbini, an interdisciplinary artist who uses humor and play to create socially and politically engaged work. Yara got her BA Fine Art in Context at the University of the West Of England, Bristol and her MA Fine Art Media at Slade, University College London. She has shown in venues such as the Tate, the Venice Biennale, ZKM, and so much more. I actually had a chance to play her piece at the Venice Biennale before I knew about Yara, which was a happy coincidence. Yara was so kind as to take time out of her day to chat with me and we got to discuss how bodies interact in public spaces, pub quizzes, what does it mean to be participatory and playful, and rethinking context within an artwork. As usual, take care, stay safe, and I hope you enjoy this. Photo credit: Hugo Glendinning

Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well. Today I have a wonderful conversation to share with you. I talk with Rea Tajiri, a filmmaker and visual artist born in Chicago, Illinois. Rea got her BFA and MFA from the California Institute of the Arts before moving to New York. Her work has been shown in the Whitney Biennial, The New Museum, MoMA, The Guggenheim, and many more. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Theater, Film and Media Arts at Temple University where she teaches documentary production. I first learned about Rea through her film History and Memory, an experimental video essay that dealt with the mutable nature of one's remembrance of a place and community. We talk about that, the purpose of documentation, Forensic Architecture, and what does it mean for a place to exist as fiction with cultural resonance. As usual, take care, stay safe, and I hope you enjoy this.

Hey everyone. Welcome to a new year and I am excited to share with you the first episode of 2022! I have with me today Maria Gaspar, an interdisciplinary artist whose work addresses issues of spatial justice to amplify, mobilize, or divert structures of power through individual and collective gestures. Maria got her BFA from Pratt Institute, an MFA from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and is currently an Associate Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I became aware of Maria’s striking photographic pieces before realizing her large breadth of work that existed also in installation, sound, and performance. I enjoyed our conversation where we talked about going to art school as a first-generation immigrant, performance as practice, the invisibility of jails, guides that are generative as opposed to predictive, and re-imagining new and better worlds. As always, stay safe and healthy in this new year and I hope you enjoy this.

Hello everyone. The winter holidays and New Year's are coming up and I just hope that wherever you are, you are able to spend some time with your friends and loved ones. It can be hard these days even to do that, so cherish those moments. I have only one last episode to share with you before the end of the year, which is also the last episode from the Rogers Art Loft series that I conducted this past summer. Don't worry, I will see you all in January. So without further ado, I want to present Dr. Erika Abad, a Queer Latina poet, born and raised in Chicago. Dr. Abad received her BA in Latin American and Latina/o Studies from DePaul University and her Ph.D. in American Studies from Washington State University. Prior to her move to Las Vegas, Dr. Abad was an oral historian for the Center for Puerto Rican Studies, Hunter College. Beyond Puerto Rican, Latinx, and Gender Studies, she is a well-published essayist, poet, and fiction writer, most recently writing a poem and creative reflection on the Pulse-Orlando tragedy. She is also a regular writer for Women in Higher Education. Erika and I chat about writing during difficult times, giving feedback to students without minimizing their experiences, queer fandom, and being mindful. This was a live-recorded event that was hosted by the wonderful Lance Smith of the Rogers Art Loft. Until next year, stay safe and healthy and have a wonderful winter holiday.

Hi everyone. I hope you are doing well. The winter holidays are almost upon us and here’s hoping for a better new year. The news about Covid and all the variants doesn’t seem to end so stay safe wherever you are. For this week, I have May Maylisa Cat, a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans video, paintings, glass, and live performances. May grew up in Chicago and graduated from the Cooper Union School of Art in New York City. Her work plays a critical role on the dominant discourses towards the community, the fantasy of the cultural “Other,” and how contemporary art appropriated social imaginaries, bringing them to a diluted universal conception of art. I spoke with May while she was finishing up a residency at Bunker Projects in Pittsburgh a few months ago, the city I used to live in. We ended up discussing third-culture kids, Zombie Formalism, Thai horror films, mukbang, ASMR videos, and so much more. As usual, stay safe, stay healthy, and I hope you enjoy this.