Intenserview with Brainard Carey, host of The Lives of the Artists

A: It was a way to meet artists I admired, like Marina Abramovic, and the late Christo [as in Christ and Jeanne-Claude], and of course there is a book by Vasari of the same title, he interviewed Renaissance artists - and the idea of getting to understand the lives of artists, not just their art, gives a new insight into the art and for me. It keeps me excited about the art world because artists are doing crazy, improbable things that no one asked for and find a way to keep doing it!

Q: How do you manage talking about visual art and visual artists on a purely auditory platform like a radio show?

A: I know, that's crazy, right? It always strikes me as really odd, especially when I ask artists to describe work and it’s conceptual. Like recently, I was talking about a work called “Solar Coochie” by two trans artists discussing performative aspects of gender and how gender in plants and animals is more fluid - so these ideas, these issues are really interesting, right? We are living in a world where art is idea-based, not purely visual, the visual points to ideas that the artist is exploring. 

I’ve had some funny conversations! William Pope.L spoke to me in a made up language. 

Q: What kind of art do you create? What’s your dream project?

A: I create collaborative art with my wife under the name “Praxis.” We gave out hugs and washed feet in the Whitney Biennial. Or last project was a “non-visible museum,” and we got James Franco to be part of our kickstarter project where we sold invisible art. 

Those are two realized dreams. We have more, like a parallel art world.... That’s a work in progress, but essentially, the global art world is changing. Capitalism is broken, something must change, but art will always be made, and we are working on a way to create a kind of open source art world where everyone contributes and manages a separate reality that may have a market of its own but is not controlled by major players and the super wealthy, where art is somehow the means of exchange…. As I said, this is a work in progress, probably to be revealed this winter. I could elaborate but I know you want this concise and snappy!

Q: Please do elaborate!

A: The parallel art world (PAL) is the idea of a structure that is not the typical power system of capitalism or anything else. It is anarchy, but anarchy can be organized, like Alcoholics Anonymous is actually an organization with a structure of no leaders, no person “in charge” — they are anarchists! But of course they don’t think they are, and the same could happen with artists. We want to create a structure that prevents “leaders” and “visionaries” from getting credit. The PAL is a place that is for expression and exchange, and I can only say so much because we want to plant the seeds of this and encourage growth, not define it and create boundaries.

Q: What role do you think the artist has in society?

A: I think artists can help us all learn a new language. I mean you have to wonder, why do artists make art? They are not making it to just sell it; otherwise, they would try to make what the market wants, right? So they are making stuff no one asked for and probably no one wants, and that's almost like some kind of weird magician / shaman / weirdo stuff — and we have a lot to learn from those kind of eccentric or hard-to-define people, a new way of living, of seeing, of loving, of feeling, of expressing. Not in literal terms, but almost in a way that is not of this world, artists are already in a parallel reality and have the ability to pull others into it, which can be pretty exciting for everyone! Artists can also just make the world a prettier place, more color, more life. Just seeing the creative urge visualized can be inspiring.

Q: What was the most memorable fortune you’ve ever gotten from a fortune cookie?

A: Hm, good one. I think it was one that was misprinted or something. It was: “To truly find yourself, you should play hide and seek alone.”

Q: Do you believe in the paranormal?

A: Yes. How could I say no? Without the paranormal, we are pretty arrogant! I think there are all kinds of worlds and creatures and ways of communicating that we haven’t a clue about, but we see these signs… I was just thinking about gnomes and fairies today — kind of paranormal, I think.