In the penultimate episode of Season 4 – across which Momus: The Podcast has been engaging writers on the genesis and reception of a particular piece of criticism – Sky Goodden speaks with Kristian Vistrup Madsen about writing Artforum Diary through the pandemic, and bringing the historic column to a more isolated, romantic, and literary space. The conversation also touches on Madsen's first book, Doing Time: Essays on Using People (Floating Opera Press), which has just been released and features a series of "reflections about the politics of solidarity and appropriation, but also about writing itself and what happens when life is turned into art." Madsen says, "There’s such an overemphasis on representation as though representation is the sphere in which the violence takes place and not the sphere in which the violence is portrayed." We wish to thank Jacob Irish (Editor), Mitra Shreeram (Assistant Producer), and Chris Andrews (Sales Director and Podcast Design). Thanks especially to Kristian Vistrup Madsen for his contribution to this season. And thank you to Sobey Award  for their support. Look for us on Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast apps. Please consider donating through our Patreon campaign. And if you would like to inquire about advertising opportunities or other forms of support, please contact our Sales Director Chris Andrews, at chrisandrews@momus.ca.  

Momus: The Podcast

Season 4 Episode 9: Kristian Vistrup Madsen

This episode gets a jump on summer with artist and filmmaker Tourmaline and writer and producer Muna Mire. In conversation, they discuss Mire’s profile of Toumaline in Frieze (October 2020) and elaborate on Tourmaline's celebration of trans histories, queer joy, community organizing, Black freedom, communing with her chosen ancestries, and what she describes as her “works of care, of lineage holding, of remembering who we really are and what we deserve.” They also delight in the everyday beauty and mysticism that holds their friendship, and the significance, for Mire, of establishing that textured sensuousness and intimacy in this text. The experience of writing and publishing in the past year is also touched on, as Mire observes, “The reason this article exists is that people set cars on fire, people burned down police precincts, and the ripple effect of that is really powerful.”

Muna Mire & Tourmaline – Season 4, Episode 8

“A school will change you, and it teaches you as much about how people will interpret you, misunderstand and dismiss you, as it will teach you about a creative life.” Critic, curator, and educator Nora N. Khan reads from "Dark Study: Within, Below, and Alongside," a feature text published in the inaugural issue of March, which starts with the question: "how to go on?" In discussion with Sky Goodden, Khan describes this question's implications for a text about the “life and death” of study, especially for first-generation immigrants studying in the US; and the effects of writing this piece in the midst of a crisis for both art education and bodies of color. "This is an effect of trauma," she says, of writing the piece. A text that operates on several levels and interweaves the personal and the proclamatory, "Dark Study" reads as both a repudiation of professionalism as we've come to know it, and a manifesto for the future potential of "mastery" in the arts.

Nora N. Khan on “Within, Below, and Alongside” – Season 4, Episode 7

Lauren Wetmore interviews Swiss American curator and writer Alexandra Stock about her scathing critique of Christophe Büchel’s 2019 Venice Biennale project Barca Nostra. Published that same year by the independent Egyptian online newspaper Mada Masr, Stock’s "The Privileged, Violent Stunt That is the Venice Biennale Boat Project" decries an “artworld that repels all criticism of it,” and describes the repercussion of being one of the first voices to publicly denouncing this high-profile artwork.

Alexandra Stock on “The Privileged, Violent Stunt” – Season 4, Episode 6

Rianna Jade Parker reads "Letter from London: What is the Status of Black Artists in England Today?" published in ARTnews (June 2020), and engages Sky Goodden on issues of artworld access, stature, masculinity, precariousness, deference to sovereignty, and duty to one another, for Black British artists working in the UK. From Steve McQueen's accepting the Knighthood to a broader conversation around meritocracy and the sudden rush of Black British art (after decades of deletion), Parker discusses her feeling of responsibility to her peers through criticism, and the long unmarked history that she's beginning to write.

Rianna Jade Parker on “Letter from London” – Season 4, Episode 5

In episode 4, Dr. Léuli Eshrāghi discusses "tagatavāsā," a text centered on Eshrāghi's grandmother's art practice that interweaves Indigenous language with the vernacular of contemporary art. Eshrāghi works across visual arts, curatorial practice, and university research, "intervening in display territories to centre Indigenous kin constellations, sensual and spoken languages, and ceremonial-political practices." In this intimate conversation with Lauren Wetmore, Eshrāghi  says, “I wonder how you can bring texts to be haunted by the absence of knowledge, or by the violence of the borders of today.” "tagatavāsā" was published in C Magazine in Winter 2019.

Léuli Eshrāghi on tagatavāsā – Season 4, Episode 4

“Like writing, fisting is both a replicable skill and a rarefied art form.” This brachioproctic line begins writer Tausif Noor’s “Hand In Glove” (Artforum, 12 April 2019), a joyfully loaded review of William E. Jones’s novel I’m Open to Anything, released in 2019 by Los Angeles independent publisher We Heard You Like Books. In this searching conversation, Lauren and Tausif discuss Jones’s oeuvre, the importance of independent publishing, and celebrate sexual transgression while lamenting that writing can often feel, like Jones’s description of fisting, “a cork popping in reverse.”

Tausif Noor on “Hand in Glove” – Season 4, Episode 3

"Let’s stop talking about Philip Guston and start talking about structural racism." This has been critic Nikki Columbus's refrain through the past season, issuing what many considered the final word of a furious debate surrounding the postponement of a Guston retrospective. Titled "Guston Can Wait" and published October 27, 2020 in N+1, the text (which Columbus reads for the podcast) deftly summarizes the controversy's main thrust - the vehemently-shared opinion that postponing the exhibition was a move based in institutional cowardice - before zooming out for the larger context in which museums are actively undermining and purging their own labor forces; that the Guston furor is distracting from these more pressing issues. "I did have fun writing this," she admits, before stressing, "We have to let go of this myth that we’re more progressive than any other sector or business."

Nikki Columbus on “Guston Can Wait” – Season 4, Episode 2

Season 4 of Momus: The Podcast invites art critics and journalists to talk about an important piece of their writing – texts that carry stories, that ran in prestigious publications to great acclaim, or that were killed under tense circumstances. Every two weeks, co-hosts Sky Goodden and Lauren Wetmore will ask a different writer to read their text to us, and then discuss how it came into being – its inspiration, construction, and impact. To launch the season, Goodden interviews her co-host Wetmore about a piece that was published in Momus and was shortlisted for a 2016 International Award for Art Criticism, a sharp and farcical review of Manifesta 11: What Artist and Curators Do for Money, which demonstrates a rare example of curatorial criticism. Lauren Wetmore is co-host and co-producer of Momus: The Podcast and a curatorial fellow at Mudam, Luxembourg. Momus: The Podcast is edited by Jacob Irish, with assistant production from Mitra Shreeram, and this season's music written by Ulysses Castellanos. Thanks to our small team and our listeners. Please visit our Patreon account for ways to support to publication and podcast.

What Artists and Curators Do for Money – Season 4, Episode 1

In the final episode of Season 3, which has been devoted to the question of "what's changed, and what should?", Sky Goodden speaks to The White Pube, a UK-based art-criticism collective comprised of Zarina Muhammad and Gabriella de la Puente. Across five years of publishing, The White Pube has been celebrated for its insistence on "embodied criticism" and "sticky subjectivity," its resistance to the star-review system of popular art criticism, and its practice of DIY art-publishing as institutional critique. "We cannot ever write in a way that denies ourselves," concludes Muhammed. Their recent feature "FUCK THE POLICE, FUCK THE STATE, FUCK THE TATE: RIOTS AND REFORM" demonstrates an increasingly unrelenting politic, as well. Momus: The Podcast is edited by Jacob Irish, features original music by Kyle McCrea, and assistant production from Mitra Shreeram. Thanks to Art Gallery of Guelph for their support of this episode, and to Gabriella and Zarina for their contribution. Look for us on Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast apps. If you would like to inquire about advertising opportunities or other forms of support, please contact Sky Goodden at skygoodden@momus.ca.

The White Pube on “What’s Changed, and What Should?” – Ep. 24

For episode 23, Lauren Wetmore spoke with Sophia al Maria, a Qatari-American artist, writer, and filmmaker based in London. Author of publications including Sad Sack, Virgin With A Memory, and her autobiography The Girl Who Fell To Earth, Al Maria has also written for Triple Canopy, Bidoun, and Harper’s Magazine. Her work as an artist has been exhibited internationally at institutions including Tate Britain, Gwangju Biennale, and the New Museum in New York. She has written Litte Birds, a television series based on Anais Nin’s erotic writings, which will premiere on Sky Atlantic in August 2020. This wide-ranging conversation takes on a speculative tone, coming from the pivotal point of three months into corona lockdown Al Maria says, “It’s really important to hold steady. To kindle and keep alive those first moments of shock.” Touching on central interests in Al Maria’s practice such as science fiction and popular culture, Wetmore and Al Maria also consider the implications of intimacy in our new touchless world, “remembering how important it is to keep that flame of erotic power alive, especially when it feels difficult and hard to fantasize.” In a difficult moment between the inaction of confinement and the ramping up of social unrest, Al Maria points towards strategies of hope. “I think linking social justice with environmental action or non-movement and non-consumption will make thinking about the future less harrowing.” Momus: The Podcast is edited by Jacob Irish, features original music by Kyle McCrea, and assistant production from Mitra Shreeram. Thanks to InterAcess for their support in this episode and to Sophia Al Maria for her contribution. Look for us on Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast apps. If you would like to inquire about advertising opportunities or other forms of support, please contact Sky Goodden at skygoodden@momus.ca.

Sophia Al Maria on “What’s Changed, and What Should?” – Ep. 23

﻿ For episode 22, Lauren Wetmore spoke with Ebony L. Haynes, a gallerist, curator, and writer. Haynes is the Director of Martos Gallery in New York, and Shoot the Lobster in New York and LA. Active for the past ten years, Haynes has insisted on the meaningful inclusion of Black artists and professionals in the contemporary artworld. In this potent conversation, she discusses her experiences as a Black female art dealer in a sexist and racist industry, where her significant contributions continue to do the powerful work of redressing injustice while elevating talent. She says, “I’m here because I’m supposed to be here.” Momus: The Podcast is edited by Jacob Irish, features original music by Kyle McCrea, and assistant production from Mitra Shreeram. Thanks to Waddington's for their support in this episode and to Ebony L. Haynes for her vital contribution. Look for us on Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast apps. If you would like to inquire about advertising opportunities or other forms of support, please contact Sky Goodden at skygoodden@momus.ca.

Ebony L. Haynes on “What’s Changed, and What Should?” – Ep. 22

﻿ For episode 21, Sky Goodden spoke with Coco Fusco, the legendary Cuban-American critic, artist, educator, and art historian. Speaking from the center of a pandemic, and on the brink of a significant wave of civil unrest and anti-racist protest, Fusco circled themes relevant to each crisis, looping them through the lens of Cuban history and the seismic shifts it is currently undergoing, in relation to protest, artistic freedom, and criticism against the government. Momus: The Podcast is edited by Jacob Irish, features original music by Kyle McCrea, and assistant production from Mitra Shreeram. Thanks to Zalucky Contemporary for their support in this episode, and to Coco Fusco for her vital contribution. If you would like to inquire about advertising opportunities or other forms of support, please contact Sky Goodden at skygoodden@momus.ca.

Coco Fusco on “What’s Changed, and What Should?” – Ep. 21

For this episode, still circling the question "what's changed, and what should?", Lauren Wetmore spoke with Brussels-based curator Daniel Blanga Gubbay, the artistic co-director of the historic Kunstenfestivaldesarts. Gubbay has worked as an educator and an independent curator for public programs including Manifesta, Palermo (2018); and was head of the Department of Arts and Choreography (ISAC) of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels. He holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from Palermo and Berlin. Reflecting on the material consequences of halting a massive festival like his, and fighting to keep artists paid and visa applications underway, Gubbay warns that “when you reduce the whole artistic process to the event, if the event disappears, you risk making that process invisible." Momus: The Podcast – recently named one of The New York Times‘ top-ten art podcasts – is issuing new podcast episodes every two weeks. Look for us on Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iTunes, and other podcast apps. Momus: The Podcast is edited by Jacob Irish, features original music by Kyle McCrea, and assistant production from Mitra Shreeram. If you would like to inquire about advertising opportunities or other forms of support, please contact Sky Goodden at skygoodden@momus.ca.

Daniel Blanga Gubbay on “What’s Changed, and What Should?” – Ep. 20

“Momus: The Podcast” explores a variety of timely themes relating to contemporary art and the present moment. Momus publisher and podcast host, Sky Goodden, delves into back rooms, biennials, and white cubes, bringing Momus’s unique brand of fresh, urgent criticism into conversation with leading artists, curators, and art writers from around the world.

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Momus: The Podcast

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