September is International Podcast Month, which means it’s time to revisit our favorite NOT REAL ART podcast episodes from 2023. Below, you’ll find interviews with GRØSS Magazine founder Victor Gonzalez, Thinkspace Projects curator Andrew Hosner, and NOT REAL ART Editor-in-Chief Morgan Laurens, who sheds light on our 2023 First Friday Exhibition schedule.
Each episode is hosted by NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power, who guides listeners through the conversations with laid-back banter and thoughtful questions about the contemporary art world.
We’re lucky to have hosted such an incredible roster of movers and shakers throughout the 2023 season. Thank you to all our listeners and guests for your continued support of our podcast—your listens, shares, and subscribes help keep creative culture alive at NOT REAL ART. We’ve got lots more in store for 2024, and can’t wait to share it with all of you. Happy listening!
Street Art in Nepal, Pts. 1 & 2: Art as a Tool for Social Change; The Unifying Power of Public Art
In this two-part episode, L.A. graffiti artist Man One travels to Nepal to participate in a cultural exchange program designed to celebrate the voices of Nepali minorities. Over a two week period, the California-based muralist—who also serves as co-founder of NOT REAL ART parent company, Crewest Studio—collaborated with Nepali artists, including traditional Mithila artists, on a unique public mural project promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality.
Combining research, cross-cultural exchange, and public workshops, the project’s main objective is to establish critical public discourse on key issues surrounding inclusion and equity. Powered by the creative potential of street art to inspire social change, the project showcases and celebrates socially excluded communities in the region with curatorial projects in Janakpur and Kathmandu. The final outcome is “The Wall of Unity,” collaborative mural designed by Nepali artists from diverse ethnic, geographic, and creative backgrounds. Organized by Kathmandu-based contemporary art collective Artudio in collaboration with the US Embassy in Nepal, the project featured the incredible talents of Khem Bahadur Palpali, Kiran Maharjan, Sudeep Balla, Manisha Shah, and Man One.
Listen to part one here and part two here.
First Friday Exhibitions: An Exclusive Sneak Peek Into Our 2023 Exhibition Schedule
In 2023, we introduced a First Friday Exhibitions, a brand new series designed to inspire you with the artwork and artists we love. In this episode, NOT REAL ART Editor-in-Chief Morgan Laurens sits down with Scott “Sourdough” Power to discuss the themes and philosophies behind our 2023 schedule.
“[These exhibitions are] an awesome way of fulfilling our mission and our purpose to help artists tell their stories and promote their work, amplify the amazing artists and artworks that are out there, but do it in the NOT REAL ART way—do it online, do it in a very accessible way,” Scott says. “We are not in the white cube space exclusive to only a few. We are online, we are ready for the world.”
Listen to the episode here.
Badir McCleary: The Consultant Creating Opportunities for Artists To Be Seen
Not only is Badir McCleary a close friend of NOT REAL ART’s, he’s also a collaborator. On this episode podcast, Scott sits down with Badir to discuss how the entrepreneur’s problem-solving skills helped him forge a unique, multifaceted career in the arts.
Badir also discusses Remote, his ongoing video series on the power of public art. “People use and apply public art in their everyday life in so many different ways now that it's important for everyday life,” he says, reflecting on his interest in public art. “These structures, these sculptures, these interactive pieces, [they] allow people the time to stop and think for a moment.” Created in partnership with NOT REAL ART, the series appears exclusively on our website.
Listen to the episode here.
Andrew Hosner of Thinkspace Projects: Spreading the New Contemporary Art Movement
As the co-founder, curator, and owner of Thinkspace Projects, Andrew Hosner is an authority on all things street art and L.A. subculture. “We're blessed to know a lot of people,” he says in the episode. “We’ve got our toe in the subculture. If we’re able to help be that mouthpiece that helps expand that bandwidth for those folks and get them seen by the general public and let them live their lives through their creativity and their God-given gifts and stuff like that, that's a pretty special thing.”
In this episode, Andrew gives us a glimpse into Thinkspace’s history, charting its unconventional trajectory from a passion project to an internationally acclaimed gallery space.
Listen to the episode here.
Meet Alice, Mirror Artist: Reflecting Your Dreams at Burning Man 2023
This year’s Burning Man turned out a little muddier than expected, but we’re still starry eyed over Burner artist Alice and his dream-inspired mirror sculptures. Whether you missed the festival or went and got stuck in the mud, you won’t want to miss this episode with Alice, who’s five-foot tall infinity mirror sculpture, “Tesseract,” appeared at Black Rock City this year.
Constructed from glass, mirror, and LEDs, “Tesseract” is another name for “hypercube,” or a fourth-dimensional cube. “A tesseract is to the cube what the cube is to the square,” says Alice, who hopes the “citizens of Black Rock City […] will immerse themselves deeply in the appreciation of the unknown fourth dimension.”
Listen to the episode here.
Victor Gonzalez of GRØSS Magazine: How To Stretch Your Resources
If you start an art publication from scratch with virtually no capital, prepare to get creative with your time and resources. “Coming into print publishing with very shallow pockets—it really made me resourceful,” says Victor Gonzalez, who founded GRØSS Magazine with a gleam in his eye and few assets to his name.
In this episode, Victor shares his thoughts on writing (“very therapeutic”), making the most of his resources, and how he created a thriving media company from the ground up.
Listen to the episode here.