“Enjoy your problems” -Shunryu Suzuki

We spend much of our time waiting for the next moment to begin. We anticipate the future, fear change, wonder what’s next. In reality, the only moment we have is the one we are living in right now. The next is not guaranteed and the previous no longer exists. And yet we waste our moments, wishing them away if they are not exactly as we would like them to be or hoping for ones that are ahead of us to begin. Relish your moments, learn to lean in to the ones that are difficult or disconcerting. Remember that each one is all you have.

Christopher Grimes spoke to us from California where he was enduring both the pandemic and wildfires. Grimes had just returned to his home after a two week evacuation and there were still helicopters dropping water on the fires on Big Sur. The air around him is difficult to breathe and when we spoke the area was facing an impending change of wind that would prove an even further challenge. Having lived in the Big Sur area before, Grimes moved there again about a year ago seeking a change from Los Angeles. He did not anticipate the challenges of these fires or of how the rural area would make his work more difficult. In 1979, Christopher Grimes Gallery opened in Monterey area before moving to Los Angeles area. He began with regional works before expanding to international work with a conceptual underpinning to everything they do. Their work now is predicated on a few points of reasoning, adapting to the ever-changing art world. To hear more about the principles on which Grimes operates his gallery and much more, including what he hopes to build in the Big Sur area where he lives, listen to the complete interview.

Ana Dimitrijevic spoke to us from Belgrade, Serbia. The Karkatag Collective, founded in 2009, currently includes three members who are joined by others as needed especially to help work with various technology. Originally there were six members. The collective initially created kinetic sculptural work and has evolved to creating works involving different forms of media. The founding principle is to develop a way to have a more direct communication with the audience and at first they avoided traditional galleries, opting for public spaces more often. Currently they are working on two big projects. One of these is in collaboration with the Museum of Yugoslavia that consists of three pieces of work that are essentially kiosks that communicate with the audience. To hear more about this work and other projects by Karkatag Collective, as well as the political significance of their work, listen to the complete interview.