Share Your Brush With Fame

“Never touch your idols: the gilding will stick to your fingers.”

(Il ne faut pas toucher aux idoles: la dorure en reste aux mains.)

-Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary

Have you ever had the experience of meeting one of your idols? How did that go? Were they who or what you expected? Did you strike up a conversation, or was it just a quick encounter? It can be jarring to meet those we idolize in real life. Sometimes we may simply freeze up and not know what to say, and sometimes we may begin to realize that they are simply human, just like the rest of us. This can contribute to or detract from the way you think about those you’ve long held in high regard.

Martina Grlić talked to us about her show, Memory Projects, which ran until August 16 at Fragment Gallery. The body of work is something Grlić started a few years ago, and much of her work revolves around history, memory and nostalgia, hence the title. This particular show focused on rearranging and reappropriating visual allegories around cultural, political, economic and social legacies. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.

Jack Arthur Wood discussed his work appearing in the group show Fracture Fracture, which ran from June 26 to August 23 at CHART Gallery. His large works in the show are collages on muslin canvas, something he began working on after his partner gave him surplus from a production gig she worked. To create his pieces, he glues elements directly to the panel on which he’s working, which removes the permanence of paint. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.