Seen

• Seeing Ryan Gander

  Join our free newsletter and become an art insider: https://mailchi.mp/seen/waitlistIn this episode of the Seeing series, Carrie chats with conceptual artist Ryan Gander. Through associative thought processes that connect the everyday and the esoteric, the overlooked and the commonplace, Gander’s work involves a questioning of language and knowledge, as well as a reinvention of both the modes of appearance and the creation of an artwork. His work can be reminiscent of a puzzle, or a network with multiple connections and the fragments of an embedded story. It is ultimately a huge set of hidden clues to be deciphered, encouraging viewers to make their own associations and invent their own narrative in order to unravel the complexities staged by the artist.From Carrie: "Ryan Gander has a giant opening coming up at the Pola Museum in Japan and so we came to the studio today to talk to him about the show and everything he's gotgoing on and guess what? We didn't talk about it at all and that's totally fine because there are hundreds of great interviews that Ryan has given that explain his practice and talk about his work because this man is a megastar in the contemporary art world. What we did today was kind of talk more personally about the point of art and why he does what he does, but also, like, what we're getting wrong. We got into, like, the deep big stuff that really bends my mind and,like, keeps me up at night and I think keeps him up at night and really got to the heart of why any of us do what we do. It was a great conversation and yet again, this is the third time I've got to interview him. I've walked away beinglike, 'Oh, that's the point. That's the point of all of this.' It's epic."Thanks for listening to this episode of the Seen podcast. Liked what you heard? Get early access to these episodes and a ton of other great art content by becoming a member of Seen at seen.art (https://seen.art) . If you want to connect with us between episodes, follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watchseenart).About the Seeing SeriesThe Seeing Series gets to the heart of what makes an artist tick. By always searching for the motivating truth behind an artist’s practice, we give viewers insider access to some of the most exciting artists in the world, all in a down-to-earth, honest way. From established artists like Rashid Johnson to emerging stars like Simonette Quamina, we speak to the good and the great of the artworld, ultimately creating an accurate portrait of how creatives survive, flourish and function today.

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• Seeing Charlie Hamilton James

  Join our free newsletter and become an art insider: https://bit.ly/Seen-Newsletter-SignupIn this episode of the Seeing series, Carrie chats with Charlie Hamilton James, a world renowned photographer and wildlife filmmaker and BAFTA award-winning director. His latest project ‘End Times’, a powerful and brutal comment on the state of our planet, is the collision of a lifetime of learning and understanding, not just of how to create content and tell stories but how we now consume that content.From Carrie: "Let's be honest, the art world can be pretty allergic to sincerity, whether it's animals, activism, actual emotion, it's just not cool to be sincere. Maybe that's a worldwide problem, not just an art world problem, but it is a thing. And yet here I am, talking to Charlie Hamilton James about his project, which is totally sincere and I tried to catch him out about ten times. I tried to like find the fatal flaw in his project and it's just not there. This is a man who truly believes that what he's doing is important, because like it is crucially important. This conversation wasn't easy. It's not easy to engage with his work on the level that it requires, but it was so worth having.Thanks for listening to this episode of the Seen podcast. Liked what you heard? Get early access to these episodes and a ton of other great art content by becoming a member of Seen at seen.art (https://seen.art) . If you want to connect with us between episodes, follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watchseenart).About the Seeing SeriesThe Seeing Series gets to the heart of what makes an artist tick. By always searching for the motivating truth behind an artist’s practice, we give viewers insider access to some of the most exciting artists in the world, all in a down-to-earth, honest way. From established artists like Rashid Johnson to emerging stars like Simonette Quamina, we speak to the good and the great of the artworld, ultimately creating an accurate portrait of how creatives survive, flourish and function today.

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• Have You Seen? Lala Drona

  In this episode of the Have You Seen? series, Carrie chats with Lala Drona, an America artist based in London and Paris whose work works live in the of rupture between what's physical and the virtual, the human and themachine. From Carrie:"Lala Drona's practice is expansive and talking to her made that really clear. Painting is kind of just the entry point. From performance to video to fiction, she constructs a world where mourning and rebirth collide. She's exploring the techno-spiritual bonds between humans and our devices, and these are big questions being kind of writ-bear in paint. And the paint's visceral, it's layered, it's haunting, it's really physical against these questions about what a post -digital world might look like. To say that our conversation was kind of mind -bending says too much, but it did make me think because Drona's work doesn't offer easy answers. It asks, "What are we in the middle of becoming? And what's left behind when we finally get there?"Explore Lala's work: https://www.laladrona.com/Thanks for listening to this episode of the Seen podcast. Liked what you heard? Get early access to these episodes and a ton of other great art content, by becoming a member of Seen at https://seen.art.Connect with us between episodes on Instagram, @watchseenart - https://www.instagram.com/watchseenartAbout the Have You Seen? series:The ⁠Have You Seen? Series⁠ is all about talking to emerging and mid-career artists about their journey to now.Curious about how an artist got to where they are or indeed why they chose art in the first place? Then this series is for you. Join us as we speak to emerging and mid-career artists across the globe. Don’t worry, there’s no hiding behind art speak here, or pretending that being an artist is a bowl of cherries. We’re here to hear it all, straight from the source.

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• Have You Seen? Annabel Merrett

  In this episode of the Have You Seen? series, Carrie chats with Annabel Merrett, a British American artist who is fascinated by the brain's workings. Annabel explores how our unconscious mind motivates our behaviour, often compelling us to return, repeat, and do the very thing we wish to avoid and fear.From Carrie:"Annabel Merrett has come to art making later in her life and all of the work is centered around health and I'm trying to resist the word to say mental health because while that is central to her practice, it is health that matters here. Annabel has been embraced by the science community because of that core but I think her practice is so important well beyond the confines of mental health and science and the medical world. This is a woman who feels it's urgent that we readdress the way we think and we talk about all sorts of things."Explore Annabel's work: https://www.annabelmerrett.com/Thanks for listening to this episode of the Seen podcast. Liked what you heard? Get early access to these episodes and a ton of other great art content, by becoming a member of Seen at https://seen.art.Connect with us between episodes on Instagram, @watchseenart - https://www.instagram.com/watchseenartAbout the Have You Seen? series:The ⁠Have You Seen? Series⁠ is all about talking to emerging and mid-career artists about their journey to now.Curious about how an artist got to where they are or indeed why they chose art in the first place? Then this series is for you. Join us as we speak to emerging and mid-career artists across the globe. Don’t worry, there’s no hiding behind art speak here, or pretending that being an artist is a bowl of cherries. We’re here to hear it all, straight from the source.

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  30:18
• Seeing John Pawson

  Join our free newsletter and become an art insider: https://bit.ly/Seen-Newsletter-SignupIn this episode of the Seeing series, Carrie chats with John Pawson, a British architectural designer renowned for his minimalist aesthetic that emphasizes simplicity, proportion, light, and material. Though not formally qualified as an architect, Pawson has created iconic spaces worldwide, from Calvin Klein's flagship store in New York to monasteries and museums, including London's Design Museum.Beyond architecture, Pawson is an accomplished photographer whose eye for composition and light is showcased in several books, including "Spectrum" and "Minimum," reflecting the same disciplined aesthetic that defines his architectural work. A former textile businessman who briefly attempted monastic life in Japan before finding his calling, Pawson was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2019 for his contributions to design and architecture.From Carrie: "I know John Pawson. I've interviewed him, launched exhibitions with him. I've even convinced him to let me sell his photography. So sitting down for another interview wasn't all that easy because I wanted to reveal the side of him that I know. His softer, funny side and his love for the creative collaborative process. But John is a pro, always composed and unwavering. He's a giant in the design world and he knows exactly what he's doing. But what struck me during our conversation at his country house with his wonderful wife, Catherine, is that John Possen might not actually be a minimalist. Bear with me. Minimalism as an artistic movement is all about simplicity, stripping away excess and focusing on essential elements. John's work embodies this with the monochrome tones and the absence of art on his walls. Yet in his house, every corner, detail, stone, and thread demands attention. It's a maximalist's dream in terms of engagement, though without the clutter.And maybe I don't fully grasp minimalism, but I left that interview thinking John's work deserves a whole new term. He challenges our relationship with material and material possessions and aesthetic beauty, embodying minimalist goals while creating spaces that captivate and us the mind. John isn't just a minimalist or he shouldn't be put into a box like that. He's something more. He makes us see more by showing less. And maybe that is the whole point of minimalism, but this interview was mind-opening, bending."Thanks for listening to this episode of the Seen podcast. Liked what you heard? Get early access to these episodes and a ton of other great art content by becoming a member of Seen at seen.art (https://seen.art) . If you want to connect with us between episodes, follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watchseenart  ) . About the Seeing Series The Seeing Series gets to the heart of what makes an artist tick. By always searching for the motivating truth behind an artist’s practice, we give viewers insider access to some of the most exciting artists in the world, all in a down-to-earth, honest way. From established artists like Rashid Johnson to emerging stars like Simonette Quamina, we speak to the good and the great of the artworld, ultimately creating an accurate portrait of how creatives survive, flourish and function today.

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  48:20

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