Robert L. Straight, P-634, 2020 59″ x 48″ x 3″ acrylic, paper, canvas, foam, wood
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
-Leo Tolstoy
Change begins within us. We cannot move forward in the world and create change unless we are willing to do the work to change those things within us that perhaps we do not even see. It takes the courage to look, with raw honesty, at the gaps in our sight and our knowledge both of the world and of our own perceptions. Every one of us carries things that are invisible to us, that we have simply held for so long that they no longer make their presence known. Whether small habits or sweeping
beliefs, it takes the willingness to step back, be honest with ourselves and see these things anew.
Robert L. Straight has been in the studio quite a lot since the start of the pandemic. Presently the painter is creating 16″ x 22″ works on paper. When he began, the works were made up of interlocking circles but as time went on the paintings became much more free and about color. He has also, for the first time, used a word
in a painting. This time for him has been a great chance to experiment without any outside pressure. Previous works were shaped paintings on wood and foam. These were based on his upbringing in California and an interest in surfing, including the structure of the surfboard itself. To hear more about his past work as well as his current series, listen to the complete interview.
Jason Bayani is a writer, organizer and artistic director of Kearny Street Workshop, the country’s oldest multi-disciplinary Asian Pacific American arts organization. Bayani is the author of Locus (2019) and Amulet (2013). After writing Locus, which was part of a larger and very involved project, Bayani
fell away from writing for a time. Now with the pandemic and social uprising, he finds himself questioning where he wants to go with his work, what his place is now and what he can contribute. His work as an organizer is critical now and Bayani feels a strong pull to show up for his community. To hear more about his work in all roles as well as further discussion of how the author sees his place in the times we now find ourselves in, listen to the complete interview.
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Fatos Ustek, Director of Liverpool Biennial, in the Praxis public forum
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