Art of Conversation lives! Continuing the project to document the working practice of SF Bay Area artists, Christine Wong Yap joined me in an email-based interview in the first half of May, 2010.  Three numbered sections mark initial, separate topics…yet intricacies weave throughout the conversation.  Enjoy!

1. Steven Barich: Hello Christine.  Thank you for taking this interview, on the eve of your solo exhibition titled Irrational Exuberance at Sight School in Oakland, CA.  I’d like to talk with you about this exhibition in particular, in order to get a “preview of the artist’s mind,” as well as some other topics related to the activity of being an artist/writer/designer in

Julia Shirar—Oakland-based artist—joined me in a email conversation about her upcoming exhibition Wrath is Come at the Rowan Morrison Gallery, opening Saturday, January 16th through February 20th.  Enjoy, and if inspired, please comment below.  Happy new decade!

Steven Barich– Greetings Julia.  I asked you for an interview via Artopic.org because next month you will open an exhibition titled Wrath Is Come at the Rowan Morrison Gallery, in Oakland. Having followed your career over the last decade as colleague and friend in the Bay Area art scene, I’m immediately curious to know the derivation of these recent artworks, what you are planning for the exhibition itself, and where exactly does

Forgotten Histories: Coffee with James Kalm

New York does not have a very good memory unless there is a lot of money and press involved, and the real history of the city is sometimes only preserved in the minds of people who are paying attention. Writer James Kalm has been paying attention to the art history of Williamsburg for over 15 years, and wrote a piece for the Brooklyn Rail titled “The Brooklyn Canon”, tracing the lineage of the Williamsburg art community. Work Only sat down for coffee with him to discuss Williamsburg’s past, as its future is being defined by overdevelopment and luxury condos Continue reading...

Another entry in our interview series, with the artist Hannah Henry. Hannah has an exhibition at the Rowan Morrison Gallery opening on April 4th. It was a pleasure to speak with her and I hope you enjoy the interview!

Steven Barich: Hello Hannah. Thank you for taking this interview. I’m glad we have this opportunity to discuss your artwork and art practice.

Hannah Henry: It’s a frighteningly rare opportunity. Thank you!

SB: You have an upcoming show at Rowan Morrison in April and I believe you have just returned from the East Coast for a project in Belfast(?)…

HH: Yes, I was a participant in Project M, a boot Continue reading...

For the first interview in a new series titled Art in Conversation, I caught up with Lena Reynoso on the eve of her opening exhibition Forty Four Presidents at Blankspace Gallery. Enjoy this conversation and check back for more to come with myself and other Artopic.org contributors hosting conversations with SF Bay Area artists.

Steven Barich: Thank you for taking this interview. I would like to start with asking you about your latest project, Forty Four Presidents, which opens as an exhibition at Blankspace in Oakland on January 10th, 2009. Obviously, it is a well timed project with the current election year finally in the past and Continue reading...