Aria Dean
Exhibitionistas - Notes on ArtOctober 29, 202401:16:43

Aria Dean

We are delighted to explore our first ICA show in this episode. We discuss artist and writer Aria Dean's Abattoir U.S.A.!, a videogame inspired video installation and a sculptural work exploring exhibitions and otherness / othering. The theme of the slaughterhouse is a powerful one, and it was treated by Dean in a subtle and powerful way.

We also read Dean's book Bad Infinity: Selected Writings (Sternberg Press). It is a philosophical exploration of minimal and contemporary art through the lens of blackness and western thought. There is a theory of representation informed by what we learned to be called Afropessimism.

We go into all of this in this episode, although we may not have understood everything. Such is the magic of exhibitions and books! We go back, and back, and back again.

00:00 Introduction & Focus on Aria Deen
00:48 Animal Sounds & Podcast Humor
01:19 Artists & Exhibitions Post-Pandemic
02:18 Guest Introduction: Joanna
03:03 Discussing Alex Garland's 'Civil War'
04:19 Literary Connection: 'Never Let Me Go'