Barbara London: My guests today are the members of CFGNY, an engaging artist collective working at the intersection of art, fashion and identity. Members include Daniel Chew, Ten Izu, Tin Nguyen and Kristen Kilponen, who collectively work across video performance, installation, sculpture and garment making.

The name CFGNY was created as an open-ended acronym that could morph depending upon the context in which the project was being presented. One of the earliest iterations of the name is Concepts Foreign Garments New York, and the group is indeed based mostly out of New York. Their work has been shown at the Japan Society in New York, at the Hammer Museum in LA, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and at Frieze London.

Daniel, Ten and Tin, thank you for joining me.

Daniel Chew: Thank you for having us.

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[April 20, 2022 | Season 2, Ep. 13 | Barbara London Calling]

Barbara London: When COVID raised its head and we went into lockdown, I needed a way to talk with the kinds of passionate people whose work and personalities have interested me for decades. “Barbara London Calling” was the answer.

Today’s episode marks the 13th and final chapter of “Barbara London Calling” 2.0. This season I interviewed 12 artists at the forefront of art and technology. For the Season 2 finale, I wanted to do something different: Instead of interviewing an artist, I decided to interview another curator who could help me process the wealth of new information we’ve uncovered all season long. So today, I’m happy to introduce special guest Valerie Cassel Oliver, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

I recall first meeting Valerie in Texas a good 15 years ago, when she was the impressive and collegial senior curator at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. Valerie, thank you very much for joining me for Season 2 finale of “Barbara London Calling.”

Valerie Cassel Oliver: It is such a joy to be here, Barbara. You know, I think we met each other in 2003, when we went to Poland. We were part of a curatorial group that went to Poland through the CEC Artslink. So, our time together goes way back. Of course, I’ve known and followed and celebrated your work for so many years, having been in Chicago at the School of the Art Institute, and the Video Data Bank, so connections there, as well. We go to the way back. It’s so wonderful to have these relationships that continue to grow.

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[April 6, 2022 | Season 2, Ep. 12 | Barbara London Calling]

Barbara London: My guest today is Lucy Raven, an American artist who works with the moving image, light and sound to create majestic, immersive art. Born in 1977 in Tucson, Lucy grew up with a strong connection to the American West. Over the last few years, she has had solo exhibitions all over the world, including the recently reopened Dia: Chelsea in New York, where her work occupied the entirety of a former marble-cutting factory on West 22nd Street. This includes two of her kinetic light sculptures and a 45-minute film that depicts the clanking and construction at a concrete plant in Bellevue, Idaho. Lucy, thank you so much for joining me.

Lucy Raven: Thanks for having me in your podcast. Very happy to be here.

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[March 23, 2022 | Season 2, Ep. 11 | Barbara London Calling]

Barbara London: Today my guest is Aura Satz, an inspired artist who dives deep into the history of electronic sound. Born in Spain in 1974 and now based in London, Aura received a degree in art, music and spectacle from the university of Bologna in 1998. She received a practice theory PhD from the Slade School of Fine Art in 2002. Aura works with the moving image and sonic sculptural objects as she creates what may appear to be minimal acoustic artwork, but in fact are packed with metaphor and original ideas. She engages with performance, film, photography and sound installation in work that is a delightful mix of archaic technologies, as she explores the complex marriage of human and machine, and the uncertainty it engenders in bodily awareness and human agency. Aura, thank you for joining me.

Aura Satz: Thank you for inviting me.

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