We kick off 2021 with Episode 2021! (Side note, we cancelled Episode 20 because we were getting 2020 bad vibes from it). We have a host of online exhibitions, events and documentaries to delve into whilst Lockdown and the wintry winds are keeping you house bound. They include: the RCA Work in Progress Show, Deborah Brown at Unit London, and documentary, Black Art: In the Absence of Light.

In the news we discuss Jerry Saltz’s blooper tweet that claims critics ‘put more into writing’ than artists. It did not go down well. We’ll talk you through the outcry, and how Jerry tried to firefight it. Meanwhile art triumphs over the villagers of Kinderhook, N.Y. and FKA Twigs shines the light on Kara Walker’s Fons Americanus in her latest music video.

Our Artist Focus is Alex Katz. Evading hype for the majority of his career, the now 93 year old American artist has defied categorisation and trends for decades. We discuss the role of his muse, wife Ada Del Moro Katz, who he has painted for over six decades, and the different epochs the Brooklyn-born artist has lived through and experienced, including Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism and Pop Art.

SHOW NOTES:
RCA Work in Progress Show 2021: https://wip2021.rca.ac.uk/
Sabine Moritz ‘Mercy’ at Pilar Corrias Gallery until 27 March 2021: https://www.pilarcorrias.com/news/19-sabine-moritz-mercy/
Richard Hamilton Respective at Pallant House Gallery: https://pallant.org.uk/whats-on/richard-hamilton-respective/
Deborah Brown Platform Exhibition at Unit London until 14 February 2021: https://unitlondon.viewingrooms.com/viewing-room/6-platform-deborah-brown
Crystal Fischetti at Grove Square Galleries: https://www.grovesquaregalleries.com/artists/35-crystal-fischetti/exhibitions/
Anthony Cudahy at 1969 Gallery: http://www.1969gallery.com/anthony-cudahy
Amy Beager https://www.amybeager.com/
Alexis Soul Gray https://www.alexissoulgray.com/about
Anne Sophie Tschiegg https://www.instagram.com/tschiegg69/?hl=en
Zoe Buckman ‘Nomi’ at Pippy Houldsworth Gallery until 13 March: https://www.houldsworth.co.uk/exhibitions/45-zoe-buckman-nomi/press_release_text/
'Black Art: In the Absence of Light’ HBO documentary: https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/black-art-in-the-absence-of-light
Jerry Saltz blasted for tweet claiming critics ‘put more into writing’ than artists: https://pagesix.com/2021/01/25/jerry-saltz-blasted-for-tweet-about-critics-versus-artists/
Column: Why we need art critics, enthusiasts: https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/ct-books-biblioracle-0207-20210202-5dtgxwjcffhapdeddxybpq2teu-story.html
In unanimous decision, Kinderhook zoning board recognises Nick Cave’s Truth Be Told is art not a sign: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/in-unanimous-decision-kinderhook-zoning-board-recognises-nick-cave-s-truth-be-told-is-art-not-a-sign
FKA Twigs' New Music Video Features Kara Walker’s ‘Fons Americanus’: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/unpacking-the-significance-of-fka-twigss-new-music-video-featuring-the-fons-americanus
Alex Katz: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-alex-katzs-seven-decade-career-produced-masterpieces-hype
https://www.shine.cn/feature/art-culture/2006200530/
‘Looking at Art with Alex Katz’ book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743218-looking-at-art-with-alex-katz