Does It Seem Unfair?

“We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.” Aesop

What does it take to succeed? Is it hard work and persistence? Or is there sometimes a darker motivation to those who rise to a high station? It may seem as though success often comes to those who play dirty – and in fact there is some research to back up the idea that toxic individuals often achieve success at higher rates. But the flipside is that this success is often short-lived. So carry on doing what you do, block out the noise, and forge ahead.

Tess Bilhartz joined us to talk about her show, Now You See Me, running through March 1 at Deanna Evans Projects. The oil on canvas works cover a variety of topics. One work, titled Green, draws on several sources, including a drawing of the artist’s own torso in a pool. In all of the work in this show, memories, emotions and more haunt ethereal landscapes. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.

Irina Lotarevich chatted about Settings, her exhibition at Silke Lindner Gallery that ran through February 8. The title was inspired by looking at sculptural techniques within jewelry settings. Lotarevich scaled up this sculptural device throughout the show. The title is a double entendre, too, of course, also alluding to a place and time. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.