Badir McCleary is cool. So cool, in fact, that the Texas-based filmmaker often finds it impossible to keep curious onlookers from approaching him during his one-man shoots. These interruptions became both a blessing and a curse for Badir while filming the second season of Remote, his stripped-down documentary series on public art.
“I only have five or 10 minutes to get a quick shot done before all hell breaks loose behind me,” says Badir, who often acts as the unwitting guide to the open-air galleries and public locations where he films Remote. “People hear me talking and start asking questions because they’re curious. It kills the take, which is frustrating, but I can’t really blame them. I think it’s cool that people want to learn more about the artwork.”
This natural curiosity fuels Badir’s larger mission as an independent consultant, arts writer, and street photographer dedicated to connecting with artists and sharing their stories. In 2011, he founded Art Above Reality, an art consulting and curatorial firm that works with beginners and seasoned pros alike. Since then, the longtime filmmaker has built a reputation for breathing life into forgotten pockets of creative culture. His video series Fallen Through the Cracks highlights overlooked Black artists in short, digestible snippets, while his work with Gallery 38 helped reinvigorate the eclectic arts community in the historic LA neighborhood of West Adams. His current podcast project, Cultural Canvases: Black Men Reshaping Fine Art and Creative Spaces, explores the stories of Black male professionals in contemporary art, design, and digital creativity.
In line with Badir’s mission, the Remote series explores the impact of public art on surrounding cities, landscapes, and communities. In season two, Badir expands his geographic horizon, venturing into new territories that redefine our understanding of public art. He captures a wide array of stories, from monuments and planned art parks to spontaneous graffiti and enormous installations nestled in unexpected locales. With each episode, Badir invites us to witness how art serves as a lens through which we can better understand the social fabric and historical context of cities, spaces, and communities across the U.S.
Created in partnership with NOT REAL ART, Remote, Season 2, Episode 1: “Art Parks and Outdoor Museums” is now available for viewing. Scroll down to read our interview with Badir about the second season, and then watch the premiere right here.
In Today’s Q+Art Interview…
Badir McCleary shares insights on his signature down-to-earth narration style, the impact of AI on the art market, and his thoughts on why art remains the most unpredictable form of human expression.
As we look back at the success of Remote's first season, I'm curious about what changes or new approaches you implemented in season two.
Badir McCleary: I wanted to focus on more themes instead of just going from city to city because season one came off as more of a travel show than an actual celebration or an enjoyment of the different forms of public art that we were coming across. Because a lot of people may not see them as categories of art. They might not know that this was put here for just creativity, or that this is something for commercial means to draw foot traffic.
While I was watching the episodes, I couldn’t help but notice how they’re structured. It’s interesting how certain pieces could easily fit into different episodes. I’m curious—how did you divide and categorize the artworks into themes?
BM: A lot of it depends on how the piece relates to the other things in a specific episode. Am I talking about something more relatable to that location, that artist, that piece? Or is it more of a historical sense where people will get more value knowing how it relates to the land? Sometimes a piece can be creative or commercial, but it's been there for a hundred years and has become part of that land. Or it's a tourist destination, but its initial reason for being there was to touch on the history of the land or to talk about breaking ground on something historic. Technically, there’s an art park at the pyramid in Mexico City, but it's also a historical site.
What is your approach to narration in these episodes? How much do you plan or research, and how much is spontaneous?
BM: I'm freestyling a lot of this because I know the information, and I'm talking about what I know. And a lot of it is on the fly, on the site. That's the most natural way of saying what I'm feeling—I get the best response. I'm trying to replicate how someone would feel just walking up to it. Because I'm seeing a lot of these pieces for the first time, I want to include that first-time excitement, that first-time feeling, those first-time words.
You went to several places in Europe for season two. Was that all on the same trip?
BM: No, actually, I went to Europe four different times. There are parts where I'm in Amsterdam or Barcelona, and there are other scenes that I didn’t include because I didn’t like how they related to the overall experience. For instance, there were times when it was pouring rain, or I was trying to film in front of a nice mural, but there would be a car or a person constantly walking into the frame and wanting to talk to me.
In Europe, people are less influenced by the media. I think they’re more willing to approach you because they don’t watch as much TV. They spend more time outside. Americans go to bars or beaches, but in Europe, people visit museums, walk in the park, and actually talk to each other. People take themselves less seriously over there.
Interesting. Despite different perspectives, would you say there’s more opportunity for dialogue or conversation about your work?
BM: Yeah. I can enjoy what your tastes are without them necessarily being my taste. And find what you find cool about them and enjoy that and relate to that to something that I find, and then we'll find a common ground, and then I'll learn something from what you like about it. And I may like it afterwards, and vice versa. That's why people come up to me, because they're finding I'm enjoying something about this. And they're picking up on that.
At the end of the day, there's still value in having that dialogue, even if people disagree. Right now, there's a real reluctance to talk about the artwork in any way that might open that dialogue between two or more people.
BM: If you look at the art market, people will only tell you enough to open your pocketbook. AI influences galleries, curators, and collectors because they only want things they can predict.
Art is our most unpredictable form of expression, and the market does not like unpredictability. Treating art like stocks, considering everything a gallery could guarantee a collector or buyer, strips away the essence of conversation. We live in a soulless art market where people are waiting for someone of substance to say, “I like this,” that tricks everyone into believing it's good. There are so many different works out there, market-wise, primary, secondary, and even public art, but they are just not good. People have forgotten how to think for themselves. And that's because the money drives decisions. If artists weren't so economically challenged, they could determine where their artworks went, and the market would look totally different.
Badir McCleary: Website | Instagram | Remote Video Series
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. All photos published with permission of Badir McCleary.