“There are many causes I would die for. There is not a single cause I would kill for.”
-Mahatma
Gandhi
To live on earth is to be aware – all the time – that violence exists all around us, much of it in the name of politics and beliefs. We go through our daily lives doing mundane tasks, eating, sleeping, working – and all the while, somewhere, someone is perpetrating violence.
Somewhere, someone is the victim. Humans are nothing if not adaptable, and so we look away, put up a shield, pretend the violence does not have to do with us. But in the dark recesses of the mind, we know that every act of violence in some way erodes the very fabric of the human race. We quietly understand that in some way we are all complicit.
Julia Kunin spoke to us on midterm elections day in early November to discuss her work, exhibitions and the threat to American democracy, among other things. Kunin has been traveling to Hungary since 2009, and has watched as
their nascent democracy has crumbled. Her travel to Hungary came about when she discovered a residency there. During her research, she visited The Strand bookstore where she was introduced to ceramics from the Zslonay Manufactory, sparking a quest to discover all she could about the medium. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
Huidi Xiang
joined us to discuss her recent show, Neither Here Nor There, at Lydian Stater Gallery. The title arose from discussions with the show curators as a way to reflect the connections – and the disconnections – between the physical and virtual worlds, the latter becoming more and more common in our daily lives.
What’s more, Lydian Stater occupies both a physical gallery space as well as a virtual one. To hear more about this show and other aspects of Xiang’s life and career, listen to the complete interview.
Read the summary of this week's interviews and
resources.
