“To go wrong in one’s own way is better than to go right in someone else’s.” -Fyodor Dostoevsky

It is all too easy to be swept up in the current of popular thinking. In these days of social media, the mob mentality is less about torches and pitchforks than it is about a common sentiment, perpetuated by many without much thought as to whether or not one truly believes what is being asserted. You have the power to be bold, to reject the senseless beating of the drum. Evaluate each moment for yourself, do not be swift to take up others’ thinking no matter who they are or what influence they may seem to have.

Adam Simon took the opportunity to get to know Praxis interviews and spent some of his time on our show interviewing the interviewer. He spent time discussing the importance of artists making things for the sake of making things in contrast to the commodification that does exist in the art world. Simon himself is known for projects that focus on the public distribution and presentation of art. The first iteration of this was his project Four Walls which consisted of evenings of presentation that ran for four years initially. To hear more from Adam Simon in this deep dive conversation, and to hear about what Simon is up to now including his own art working with logos and the major museum who has just decided to take some of his archives, listen to the complete interview.

William J Simmons returned for a second conversation with us. During a previous conversation, we discussed his critical review of the Jenny Saville show at Gagosian Gallery. Ultimately the interview never went to print as intended as the editors feared a negative response. The interview now appears on Simmons’ website. Simmons is a Provost Fellow in the Humanities at the University of Southern California. To hear this second conversation which touches on Simmons often against-the-tide, independent thoughts on the art world, listen to the complete interview.