The NewCrits Podcast

SPENT Episode Seven | Stephanie Wambugu

Ajay Kurian sits down with writer Stephanie Wambugu, whose debut novel Lonely Crowds arrived last year to considerable acclaim, for a conversation that begins with the an

The/Forum 25 | Alex Da Corte

Ajay Kurian sits down with artist Alex Da Corte, whose recreations, personas and total immersion into figures from Marcel Duchamp to Eminem have made him one of the most

SPENT Episode Six | Vijay Masharani

Ajay Kurian sits down with artist Vijay Masharani for a conversation that begins with a confession about hating the highway and expands into an exploration of cliché, mor

The/Forum 24 | Ed Solomon

Screenwriter Ed Solomon discusses The Christophers and reflects on his career and creative process. Solomon discusses mentorship, writing intuitively, working with actors

The/Forum 23 | Inside The Studio Panel

Three artists reflect on their experiences working as assistants to established artists. Ian Cheng, Darren Bader, and Jamian Juliano-Villani discuss apprenticeship, autho

SPENT: Episode Five | Marc Spiegler

For nearly a decade, Marc Spiegler served as the Global Director of Art Basel, helping shape one of the world’s most influential institutions in contemporary art. Earlier

The/Forum 22 | Baseera Khan

Baseera Khan joins Ajay Kurian for a conversation that begins with a Garfield drawing contest and expands into an exploration of storytelling, identity, and the politics

SPENT Episode Four | Erin Jane Nelson

Erin Jane Nelson joins Ajay Kurian to talk about the gap between artistic success and creative fulfillment. They discuss the reality of making a living as an artist, navi

The/Forum 21 | Lucas Blalock

Lucas Blalock’s photographs often look like they’re interrupting themselves. Objects bend out of place. Edits remain visible. Corrections become part of the image instea

SPENT: Episode Three | Whitney Mallet

SPENT: Episode Three | Whitney Mallet Whitney Mallet has spent years moving through magazines, galleries, performances, readings, and the shifting ecosystems that surrou

SPENT: Episode Two | Walter Price

SPENT: Episode Two | Walter Price Walter Price’s paintings may present as loose, instinctive, and immediate, but behind them is a practice built on discipline, repetitio

SPENT: Episode One | Yaya Bey

SPENT: Episode One | Yaya Bey Yaya Bey has built one of the most singular voices in contemporary music not by chasing consensus, but by trusting her own sense of practic

The/Forum 20 | Kamrooz Aram: Painting on the Edge of Ornament and Abstraction

He works through form, perception, and the politics of display — Kamrooz Aram on ornament, abstraction, and the unstable ground of how we see. Kamrooz Aram moves between

The/Forum 19 | Rachel Rose: Psychic States, Motherhood, and the Moving Image

She works through feeling, perception, and narrative — Rachel Rose on interior weather, unstable perspectives, and art as a way to process what cannot be easily named. R

The/Forum 18 | Reginald Sylvester II: Discipline as Devotion

Reginald Sylvester II approaches painting as a structure of discipline. What begins in daily rituals—routine, repetition, and care—extends into a larger philosophy about

The/Forum 17 | Ebony L. Haynes: The Terms Of Autonomy

When David Zwirner approached Ebony L. Haynes, the conversation didn’t begin with vision statements or prestige. It began with reality: exhaustion, uncertainty, and the q

The/Forum 16 | Banks Violette: Inside the Machinery of Ruin

He built a career on dark stages, scorched metal, and fragile narratives. Banks Violette looks back at the neo-goth label, the toll of self-destruction, and what it means

The/Forum 15 | Eric N. Mack: On Tender Assembly and the Politics of Display

He builds with fabric, scaffolding, and light — Eric N. Mack on tenderness as structure and the unseen labor that makes art visible. Eric N. Mack works between painting,

The/Forum 14 | Raúl de Nieves: Saints, Stained Glass, and the Work of Belief

He builds worlds from devotion, labor, and light. Raúl de Nieves on myth, death, and the joy of transformation. Raúl de Nieves is a multidisciplinary artist whose practi

The/Forum 13 | Tracing Absence and the Lives We Inherit

She builds archives, conjures futures, and questions everything — Tamika Abaka-Wood on ritual, refusal, and the joy of cultural strategy. Tamika Abaka-Wood is a cultural