Has This Happened Before?

“What any true painting touches is an absence – an absence of which without the painting, we might be unaware. And that would be our loss.”

-John Berger, The Shape of a Pocket

John Berger was 75 when he published The Shape of a Pocket in 2001. It is a beautiful book in which he writes poetically about art and the world and what it means to really look closely. Reading it, one gets the sense that Berger was feeling that the world was moving toward something dark, which seems to be a recurring theme in history. Perhaps every generation has moments of trepidation about the path they’re treading. And surely every generation that does must decide what they’re going to do about it.

Elias Mung’ora joined us to talk about his museum show, Song of Lawino, which ran until February 21 at the Yang Family University Art Gallery at Indiana State University. The title comes from the epic poem of the same name by Ugandan poet Okot P’Bitek about a woman lamenting a change in her husband after his introduction to Western ideas of education, God and Christianity. The poem explores the idea of colonialism through the lens of its main character. To learn more about this and the work Mung’ora created in response, listen to the complete interview.

Rei Xiao chatted about The Flea and the Acrobat, her first New York solo show, which ran until March one at Fragment Gallery. The premise of the show is based on Xiao’s experiences growing up in Istanbul, Turkey with her mother who housed 15-20 cats in a three bedroom apartment. The work explores Xiao’s past as a Chinese-Turkish person living in Turkey as well has her relationship with her mom and the cats. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.