“Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.”
-H.G. Wells

The world. On fire. At every turn, disaster seems to reign. And yet. There is beauty. There is art. There is a pinprick of light in the darkest places. When we despair, we let go of the opportunity for it to break through, for optimism to take us by surprise. Oblivion is not a foregone conclusion. Not yet. There is time. There is hope. Hold on tight and let the good moments wash over you.

 

C. Finley spoke to us from London in mid-July shortly before pandemic restrictions were due to be lifted. The previous Friday she closed the final day of the Every Woman Biennial in NYC and London, the first time the festival has had a trans-Atlantic presence. The event included around 279 participating artists who were women and non-binary artists. Finley reports that the entire event was a smash – the artists were very happy and the events were well attended and well received. After much debate over whether to hold the event during these extraordinary times, the organizers, including Finley, decided that artists needed something like this and that assumption was just right. To hear more about the Every Woman Biennial, including its origin as the Whitney Houston Biennial, as well as Finley’s own work, listen to the complete interview.

Susan Louise Aberth also spoke to us in mid-July from Hyde Park, NY where she is a professor at Bard College. Her own work at the moment focuses on surrealism, something she finds gaining more popularity – in particular the women artists associated with surrealism. Much of Aberth’s research – including her Ph.D. dissertation, examines the life and work of Leonora Carrington, the British-born Mexican surrealist artist and writer. Among Carrington’s body of work is a Tarot deck, something that was of particular interest in the surrealist movement. In addition to women in surrealism, more attention is being paid to other countries where the surrealist movement took root but that have not received as much attention to date. To hear more about Aberth’s work including her deep knowledge of Leonora Carrington, listen to the complete interview.