“Perhaps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”
-George Orwell, 1984
What does it mean to be truly understood? Is it something you experience in your life? For most humans, the connection we find between each other is part of what sustains us, and the ability to see and be seen helps us through many of life’s trials. It is equally important to be seen and understood for who you really are, not for being someone you think others will approve of.
Robert Szot joined us to talk about his recent show at Anita Rogers Gallery, The Picturesque Survival Of Other Days. The title speaks to the last few years of Szot’s life, during which he lost his father to COVID shortly after having moved to L.A. from NYC after living on the East Coast for a few decades. To learn more about how this show is tied to Szot’s own life, listen to the complete interview.
Alyina Zaidi chatted with us about her recent show, Lost in the Belly of a Whale, which ran until November 20 at Alexander Berggruen Gallery. The title of the show touches on the long-held fascination people have about whales, creatures that are so large Zaidi can imagine entire societies existing in their bellies without them even noticing. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
A few words to keep in your pocket
Are you seen?
Outings
Join me at Conwell Coffee Hall
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android, please click here. All weekly essay pieces are here in a shareable format. The full archive of interviews is here.
More books to read
Ours is a community of readers. Tell us what books you’re reading now by adding your titles to our reading list here. Praxis user Laurie Marshall is reading Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity’s Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism.
Opportunities
The University of Michigan invites artists to apply for the 2025–2026 Roman Witt Residency, focusing on U.S. Semiquincentennial themes of identity, memory, and national history through performance or social practice. To learn more and apply, visit the website. Deadline for applications is December 15.
