Strand, the Story of an Artist

Kevin Kirkwood is joined by Josh Aronson, a Miami-based artist and photographer whose work explores masculinity, vulnerability, and the shifting landscape of the American South. Born in Toronto and raised in Florida, Aronson’s perspective is shaped by a deep familiarity with the region’s contradictions, something that becomes a central thread throughout the conversation. His photographs, which often blur the line between portraiture and landscape, have appeared in publications including The New York Times, Paris Review, Financial Times, Frieze, Italian Vogue, Teen Vogue, Dazed, i-D, British Journal of Photography, Document Journal, and Apartamento. Across this work, Aronson engages questions of identity, intimacy, and place, building images that feel both personal and culturally resonant. He is currently a 2026 Leonian Foundation Fellow in Photography at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, a Studio Artist-in-Residence at Deering Estate in Florida, and an ON::View Artist-in-Residence at ARTS Southeast in Georgia. His work has been exhibited internationally, and in 2024, he became the only artist to receive both the People’s Choice Award and Juror’s Prize for the City of Miami Beach’s No Vacancy public art commission. In this conversation, we explore Josh’s early influences and what first drew him to photography, how collaboration and trust shape his process, and the evolving relationship between artist and subject. We also discuss the emotional terrain of the South, the challenge of representing Florida beyond cliché, and what it means to document a place that resists easy definition. Learn more: | josharonson.us   |   @jda.usa vcca.com  |   @vacenterforthecreativearts deeringestate.org   |   @deeringestate artssoutheast.org   |   @artssoutheast   Follow the host: kevin-kirkwood.com  | @kevinwillpaint | @strandpodcast Listen to The Strand via all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with Savannah-based artist Rick Petrea, whose work spans painting, sculpture, ceramics, and collage. For over 30 years, Rick has explored figurative, expressionistic art, occasionally venturing into abstraction. His influences range from Willem de Kooning, Jean Dubuffet, and the CoBrA Group to comic books and outsider art, particularly by artists with schizophrenia. In this episode, Kevin and Rick trace a life devoted to art; from growing up in Savannah to encounters with de Kooning in New York and Emilio Vedova in Venice. They discuss how books, politics, and military service shaped both his worldview and his practice, and how his work bridges Abstract Expressionism, outsider art, and contemporary expression. Follow the host: kevin-kirkwood.com | @kevinwillpaint | @strandpodcast Listen to The Strand on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon, and all major platforms.  

Kevin Kirkwood is joined by Jason Hoelscher, a painter, writer, and professor whose work explores the dynamics of attention, perception, and visual information. Hoelscher’s practice sits at the intersection of art, philosophy, and information. His book Art as Information Ecology (Duke University Press, 2021) draws on aesthetic philosophy and information theory to reframe art as a living, complex system rather than a fixed object. His work has been exhibited across the U.S. and internationally, including large-scale public installations in airports and other shared spaces. He has written for ARTnews and The Wall Street Journal, and serves as a professor and gallery director at Georgia Southern University. In this episode, Kevin and Jason trace the arc of a practice that moves fluidly between the studio, the page, and the public sphere. They discuss how painting led Jason toward philosophy, why information overload is as much an aesthetic problem as a cultural one, and what it means to create work that doesn’t just fill space but actively shapes how it’s experienced. Learn more: jason-hoelscher.com | @jason_hoelscher_studio Follow the host: kevin-kirkwood.com | @kevinwillpaint | @strandpodcast Listen to The Strand on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood visits the Savannah, Georgia studio of painter Christopher Moss, a space Christopher built by hand alongside his father, and the setting for an afternoon conversation about memory, place, and the quiet work of building a creative life. Together, they trace his path from a childhood in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, through earning his MFA at CUNY Brooklyn College, to the practice he has cultivated in Savannah. Along the way, they reflect on what it means to create paintings rooted in a sense of home, and how that sense evolves over time. Christopher’s recent exhibitions include a two artist show with Sue Fox at Lyndon House Arts Center (Athens, GA), as well as EASTSIDE 11 at Ology Gallery (Savannah). The conversation also looks ahead to his participation in ArtFields 2026, one of the largest art competitions in the South, on view April 10 through May 2. Learn more: christophermoss.biz | @mrhopthescissor @lyndonhouseartscenter @ologygallery @artfieldssc Follow the host, Kevin Kirkwood: kevin-kirkwood.com | @kevinwillpaint Follow the show: @strandpodcast The Strand is available at the link in bio or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Amazon, and all major platforms.  

Kevin Kirkwood is joined by Erin Dunn, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Telfair Museums in Savannah, Georgia. Since 2014, Erin has organized exhibitions including Watershed: Contemporary Landscape Photography, Feels Like Freedom: Phillip J. Hampton, and Frank Stewart's Nexus: An American Photographer's Journey. She also leads the #art912 initiative, a program dedicated to supporting artists working in Savannah. Her most recent exhibition, Off the Coast of Paradise: Artists and Ossabaw Island, 1961–Now, co-curated with Beryl Gilothwest, is the first major show to explore the influence of Ossabaw Island on American artists. The exhibition spans 26,000 undeveloped acres off the Georgia coast and highlights the legacy of two groundbreaking residency programs, featuring work by internationally renowned artists including Harry Bertoia, Agnes Denes, Sally Mann, Anne Truitt, and a new commission by Allison Janae Hamilton. In this conversation, we explore Erin’s early life and the path that led her into curatorial work, the process behind building Off the Coast of Paradise, and the challenges of representing complex and layered histories. She also shares candid advice for emerging artists looking to connect with institutions. Learn more: Telfair.org  | @telfairmuseums  | @erindunn_art   Follow the host: kevin-kirkwood.com | @kevinwillpaint | @strandpodcast Listen to The Strand on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood is joined by Ivy Laurel Anderson, a fiber artist and sculptor based in Savannah, Georgia. Using a knitting machine as her primary tool, Ivy wraps discarded everyday objects in elastic knitted membranes that stretch, sag, and conform to whatever lies beneath. Her ongoing series, Somethings, transforms castaway materials into forms that are by turns humorous, unsettling, and oddly moving. Her work has been recognized by the International Design Awards, the Red Dot Design Awards, and ArtPrize, and her practice has taken her from Japan to Italy through residencies and exhibitions across the country. In this conversation, we explore her path from fashion to fiber sculpture, her relationship with the knitting machine, and what it means to find beauty in the overlooked and forgotten. Learn more: ivylaurelanderson.com   |   @ivylaurelanderson Follow the host: kevin-kirkwood.com  | @kevinwillpaint | @strandpodcast Listen to The Strand on all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with Italian American figurative painter and writer Melinda Borysevicz, whose work recently moved from the hilltop villages of southern Italy to the marshes of Savannah, Georgia. After years immersed in Savannah's vibrant creative community, Melinda traveled in 2015 to a small village near her ancestral home in southern Italy. What began as a short stay became several years of living, painting, and writing in Padula, Italy. Most recently, Melinda found her way back to Savannah, where she threw herself into one of the most ambitious projects of her career. Through two consecutive residencies, first at ArtsSoutheast, then at the Savannah College of Art and Design, she brought “Savannah Procession” to life: a two-panel oil painting, six feet tall and fifteen feet long. The work grew out of town hall gatherings in her own studio, where community members came together to share their lives, their struggles, and their hopes. In this episode, we explore her journey between continents, the making of Savannah Procession, and what happens when an artist opens her studio to a community.   Learn more: melindaborysevicz.com @melinbz artssoutheast.org @artssoutheast   Follow the host: kevin-kirkwood.com @kevinwillpaint or @strandpodcast   Listen to The Strand on all major platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.   Portrait by Natalino Russo @natalinorusso

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with Ben Tollefson, a painter and curator based in Savannah whose studio practice examines performance, identity, and the illusions we construct around the self. Working primarily in figurative oil painting, Ben explores artifice and the social constructions of masculinity and femininity. His boldly hued, psychologically charged compositions inject a camp sensibility into traditional painting, balancing technical rigor with flamboyance and theatricality. Raised within a religious environment shaped by strict binary gender roles, his work reclaims qualities once considered forbidden: frivolity, excess, ornament, and reframes them as sites of power and inquiry. Since earning his M.F.A. from SCAD in 2014, Ben has shown work across the country, from Laney Contemporary in Savannah to the Spring Break Art Show in New York, and been featured in IMPACT and Burnaway Magazine. As Curator at the SCAD Museum of Art, he has organized exhibitions by Zanele Muholi, Nina Chanel Abney, Marcel Dzama, Roxy Paine, and others. In this episode, we trace the turning points, formative experiences, and personal history that have shaped his practice and explore what keeps pulling him back to the canvas.   Learn more: bentollefson.com @bentollefson Follow the host: kevin-kirkwood.com @kevinwillpaint or @strandpodcast Listen to The Strand via the link in bio and on all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood shared a conversation with lé dieguê, a Venezuelan-born artist now living and working in Savannah, Georgia. His work is layered with rhythm, symbolism, and bold chromatic intensity, drawing from migration, cultural memory, and personal resilience. Through color and pattern, he builds visual worlds that speak to identity, displacement, and transformation. In this conversation, they discuss lé dieguê’s journey from Venezuela to the United States, and how the current political administration is affecting not only his own life, but the people he loves and the broader immigrant community around him. They also explore how those pressures and uncertainties are shaping his creative output; how art becomes both refuge and response in moments of adversity. This is a thoughtful, honest conversation about art, identity, and making work in complicated times.   Learn more: lediegue.com @ledieguearte latinoartsinc.org @latinoartsinc @hugopahd   Follow the host: kevin-kirkwood.com @kevinwillpaint or at @strandpodcast   Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood travels to Orlando, Florida to reconnect with Benoit Glazer; musician, designer, and founder of the Timucua Arts Foundation. Benoit is also renowned for his work as musical director for Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, bringing a world-class performance perspective to his own creative projects. Timucua is a multi-disciplinary arts and education nonprofit, blending music, visual art, festivals, and live performance in an intimate, community-centered setting. More than a venue, it’s a hub built on the belief that the arts belong to everyone. Kevin’s connection to Timucua is endearing. It was painter and graphic novelist Michael Broom who first introduced him to Benoit, an introduction that led to Kevin’s very first art show and marked a turning point in his career. He still recalls that opening night when Charlie DeChant, saxophonist for Daryl Hall & John Oates, performed live during the exhibit; a moment that set a high standard for what an art event could be. In this conversation, Kevin and Benoit explore the importance of building creative communities and why supporting the arts matters now more than ever. Learn more: timucua.com Follow Kevin on Instagram: @kevinwillpaint | @strandpodcast Documentaries on Timucua: 2014 – Steve Radley & Restless Films: Watch @restless_realm 2025 – Adrenaline Films: Watch @adrenalinefilms   Artist Statement: Benoit Glazer grew up in Québec’s Laurentian Mountains and earned degrees in music performance and conducting. By 21, he was teaching jazz at McGill University while touring and recording for millions worldwide. From 1998–2017, he conducted La Nouba for Cirque du Soleil. In 2000, he founded Timucua Arts Foundation, where he remains Artistic and Technical Director, championing music, visual arts, and community-centered performance. A frequent speaker and advisor, Benoit has been recognized for his achievements as both musician and philanthropist.   Portrait courtesy of Benoit Glazer

Kevin Kirkwood travels to Decatur, Georgia, to sit down with artist Tori Tinsley for a conversation about process and vulnerability. Born in 1980, Tori Tinsley is an Atlanta-based artist whose practice navigates memory, labor, and lived experience. She earned her BFA from the University of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art & Design, a Master of Arts in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and an MFA from Georgia State University. Her work has been featured in Art Papers, Oxford American, and New American Paintings, and she is a recipient of a Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant, the City of Atlanta Emerging Artist Award, and an Idea Capital Grant. Tinsley is currently a Studio Artist at Atlanta Contemporary and is represented by Laney Contemporary and Co-op Art Atlanta. In this episode, we discuss her current body of work, now on view at Laney Contemporary in Savannah through January 10. Learn more: toritinsley.com laneycontemporary.com Follow the host: Instagram: @kevinwillpaint Instagram: @strandpodcast kevin-kirkwood.com Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood shared a conversation with Anila Quayyum Agha. She is an internationally recognized artist born in Lahore, Pakistan and currently based in the US. Anila creates immersive installations that explore global and environmental issues, culture, and social and gender roles. Using Islamic geometric patterns, light, shadow, and steel cut with delicate designs, her work transforms spaces, inviting viewers to reflect while becoming part of the installation. Her projects explore boundaries, balance, and the connections between people, cultures, and ideas, encouraging viewers to notice both harmony and difference in the world around us. Anila earned her BFA from the National College of Arts, Lahore, and an MFA from the University of North Texas. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Kew Gardens (London), Museum of Oriental Art (Italy), and major U.S. museums such as the Crow Museum (Dallas), Bruce Museum (Greenwich), and Cummer Museum (Jacksonville). She participated in the 2019 Venice Biennale collateral event She Persists and has received numerous awards, including the NEA for her 2024 traveling retrospective Interwoven, the Joan Mitchell Award, and multiple DeHaan Artist of Distinction honors. Agha has held the Morris Eminent Scholar Chair at Augusta University and received a Smithsonian Fellowship, collaborating with SAAM and AAA. Her work is collected by prominent institutions and private collectors worldwide.   ANILA QUAYYUM AGHA anilaagha.com Instagram: @anilaquayyumagha   Produced by KEVIN KIRKWOOD kevin-kirkwood.com     @kevinwillpaint     @strandpodcast   Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.  

Kevin Kirkwood traveled to Willow Pond in San Luis Obispo to visit the bright, light-filled studio of contemporary artist Carol Paquet. A South African–American visual artist, Carol works across photography, oil painting, and mixed media, blending analog and digital techniques to create fictional botanical landscapes shaped by memory, place, and imagination. After studying at the College of Art in Johannesburg, she spent 15 years as an art director before fully committing to her studio practice. Kevin and Carol discuss the evolution of her work, the influence of landscape on her creative process, and how she navigates the intersection between the physical and digital worlds. With the stillness of Willow Pond just outside the studio, the conversation offers a thoughtful glimpse into Carol’s contemplative approach to art-making. The episode also highlights upcoming workshop opportunities at Willow Pond, offering painters, digital artists, and multimedia creators the chance to work in a peaceful, immersive natural setting. Workshops for 2026 will feature artists Geoff Allen, Johan Barrios, Jason Hackenwerth, and Gorden Studer.   CAROL PAQUET carolpaquet.com     @carolpatriciapaquet WILLOW POND – San Luis Obispo Willowpondslo.com     @willowpondslo 10 WEST GALLERY 10westgallery.com     @10westgallery MONTEREY MUSEUM OF ART www.montereyart.org      @montereyart SAN LUIS OBISPO MUSEUM OF ART sloma.org     @slomuseumofart Produced by KEVIN KIRKWOOD kevin-kirkwood.com     @kevinwillpaint     @strandpodcast Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon. This episode was recorded September 26, 2025 in San Luis Obispo, California.  

Kevin Kirkwood visits the vibrant, detail-packed studio of illustrator and muralist Nigel Sussman in the heart of Berkeley, California. Known for his bold isometric worlds and large-scale murals that transform city walls into playful architectural maps, Nigel has developed a visual style that is instantly recognizable and endlessly explorable. Kevin and Nigel dive into the creative engine behind his work; from the evolution of his signature style, to the hidden stories embedded throughout his dense compositions, to the balance between structure and whimsy that defines his art. Surrounded by sketches, paintings, and the tools of his craft, this conversation offers an inside look at the curiosity, precision, and imagination that shape Nigel’s world.  A special thank you to Victoria Gildersleeve for making this episode possible. @victoriagildersleeve_projects NIGEL SUSSMAN NIGELSUSSMAN.COM    |     @NIGELSUSSMAN  Produced by KEVIN KIRKWOOD kevin-kirkwood.com   |   @kevinwillpaint   |   @strandpodcast Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon. This episode was recorded September 29, 2025 in Berkeley, California.

In today’s episode, Kevin Kirkwood brings listeners to the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco, recording inside the studio of contemporary artist Wanxin Zhang. Widely regarded as a leading voice in the new generation of the Bay Area clay movement, Wanxin is celebrated for his monumental ceramic figures, his experimental formless structures, and his striking bronze works. His sculptures explore themes of globalization, politics, and cultural identity, often infused with unexpected elements of contemporary pop culture. Surrounded by these commanding works and the energy of his studio practice, Kevin and Wanxin sit down for an in-depth conversation about Wanxin’s journey from China to California, the evolution of his distinctive sculptural language, and the cultural forces that continue to shape his approach to making art.   WANXIN ZHANG wanxinzhang.com @wxzhang25   CATHARINE CLARK GALLERY cclarkgallery.com @cclarkgallery   |   @clarkcatharine  |  @exitatccg   |   @boxbluratccg   Produced by KEVIN KIRKWOOD kevin-kirkwood.com   |   @kevinwillpaint   |   @strandpodcast   Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.   This episode was recorded on September 24, 2025 in San Francisco.

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with celebrated artist, critic, and museum professional Hal Fischer for an intimate conversation recorded at Fischer’s home in San Francisco. Known for his groundbreaking Gay Semiotics series and influential writing on photography in the 1970s, Fischer reflects on a career that spans more than four decades and continues to shape contemporary understandings of visual culture and queer identity. From his early days contributing to Artforum and Artweek, to his pivotal role in establishing San Francisco Camerawork, to his long tenure as a museum consultant, Fischer shares personal stories, insights, and the ideas that fueled his creative evolution. The conversation traces his return to the spotlight through recent retrospectives, renewed interest in his photographic work, and the ongoing relevance of his visual language. Recorded among the books, artwork, and personal history that fill his San Francisco home, this episode offers a rare, firsthand look at one of the Bay Area’s most distinctive artistic voices. Tune in for a thoughtful, candid discussion that explores art, community, memory, and the enduring impact of Hal Fischer’s vision.   HAL FISCHER www.gaysemiotics.com @hal.fischer CASEMORE GALLERY Casemoregallery.com @casemoregallery   Produced by KEVIN KIRKWOOD kevin-kirkwood.com   |   @kevinwillpaint   |   @strandpodcast   Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon. This episode was recorded September 27, 2025 in San Francisco, CA. Photo: Kurt Edward Fishback  

Kevin Kirkwood spent time with artist Andy Diaz Hope in his San Francisco studio, where Andy reflected on his upbringing on the Bay Area’s peninsula, his academic path through Stanford University, and the moment the Catharine Clark Gallery took interest in his work.   Andy Diaz Hope holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Engineering from Stanford’s renowned joint program in Design; a collaboration between the Engineering and Art departments. His practice is driven by a desire to present alternative perspectives to mainstream media narratives, fostering dialogue, pluralism, and critical thought. Known for mastering new materials and techniques, Diaz Hope continually expands the conceptual possibilities of his work.   He has exhibited internationally, with presentations at the Museum of Arts and Design (New York), the Crocker Art Museum (California), the International Museum of Surgical Science (Chicago), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Colorado), the National Gallery of Victoria (Australia), and the London Crafts Council (England). His work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Museum of Arts and Design (New York), the Palm Springs Art Museum, the Nevada Museum of Art, and 21c Museum Hotels.   ANDY DIAZ HOPE www.andydiazhope.com https://cclarkgallery.com/artists/49-andy-diaz-hope/works/   CATHARINE CLARK GALLERY cclarkgallery.com @cclarkgallery   |   @clarkcatharine  |  @exitatccg   |   @boxbluratccg   Produced by KEVIN KIRKWOOD kevin-kirkwood.com   |   @kevinwillpaint   |   @strandpodcast   Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.   This episode was recorded September 23, 2025 in San Francisco’s Mission District.  

Episode 087: Badri Valian بدری ولیان Kevin Kirkwood sat down with artist Badri Valian in her San Francisco studio in the Design District, where they talked about her upbringing in Iran, the ways those early experiences continue to shape her creative life, and the possibilities she envisions for her future practice. Badri Valian is a San Francisco–based interdisciplinary and social practice artist whose work investigates the relationship between individuals and the manipulated worlds formed by war, ideology, and displacement. Her perspective is shaped by lived experiences of armed conflict, fragmented identity, and political oppression—threads that weave throughout her thoughtful, deeply human approach to making art.   Badri Valian: https://www.badrivalian.com @badrivalian   Produced by Kevin Kirkwood kevin-kirkwood.com   |   @kevinwillpaint   |   @strandpodcast   Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.   This episode was recorded September 23, 2025 in San Francisco, California.

Kevin Kirkwood sat down with artist and designer Brian Singer for a brief conversation in his San Francisco studio, located in the Mission District. Brian reflected on his upbringing in Silicon Valley, discussed the ideas behind several of his artworks, and shared his thoughts on the evolving direction of his creative practice. Best known for his thought-provoking work, Brian Singer, is a multimedia artist who challenges conventional perceptions of objects and cultural symbols. Singer’s work often delves into the complexities of human connection, communication, and societal dynamics. Some of his more highlighted work, like The 1000 Journals Project and TWIT Spotting (Texting While In Traffic), received international attention. The 1000 Journals Project was turned into a feature-length documentary, a book, and exhibited at SFMOMA and the Skirball in Los Angeles. Singer also had recent solo shows at the Torrance Art Museum and the Thacher Gallery at USF. As a designer, Brian created work for Apple, Facebook, Pinterest, and many others. Recognized with numerous awards and publications, he currently serves on the SECA Council for SFMoMA, and on the board of directors of Southern Exposure.    BRIAN SINGER: www.someguy.is @someguy.is   SOUTHERN EXPOSURE: soex.org @southernexposuresf   THE JACK FISCHER GALLERY: jackfischergallery.com @thejackfischergallery   Produced by Kevin Kirkwood kevin-kirkwood.com   |   @kevinwillpaint   |   @strandpodcast   Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.   This episode was recorded September 24, 2025 in San Francisco, California.

Episode 085: Abby Zhang Kevin Kirkwood met up with Abby Zhang in Bayview, California at a park just south of San Francisco. Abby Zhang is a Bay Area–based artist working across painting, printmaking, and installation. She holds an MFA from Pratt Institute and has exhibited her work nationally. Currently in residence at Kala Art Institute, she is expanding her printmaking practice through experimental layering and material processes. Her recent projects include presentations at TRYST and Nomad III, hosted by the Torrance Art Museum. As a member of Mercury 20 Gallery in Oakland, she also curates and organizes exhibitions that connect local and national art communities. A special thank you to Regina Durante Jestrow for making this episode possible. (reginajestrow.com) www.apencap.com   |   @abbypencap Kala.org   |   @kalaartinstitute Produced by Kevin Kirkwood kevin-kirkwood.com   |   @kevinwillpaint   |   @strandpodcast Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon. This episode was recorded September 24, 2025 in Bayview, California.

Kevin Kirkwood sat down with Bibby Gignilliat, a Northern California–based artist whose work radiates color, texture, and fearless creativity. They met in her Sausalito studio, a small waterfront town just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Before becoming a full-time artist, Bibby built a thriving culinary team-building business in four major cities. In 2017, she sold the company to dedicate herself entirely to painting. Her mixed-media works have since been exhibited at the DeYoung Museum, Triton Museum, and featured in galleries across the country. She also shares her innovative techniques with thousands of students, both online and in her studio, encouraging others to create boldly and without hesitation. Today, she is represented by the Portland Art Gallery. Their website has a wide selection of Bibby’s available work. If you’re near the San Francisco Bay Area, stop by her open studio on November 15. portlandartgallery.com   |   @portlandartgallery bibbyart.com   |   @bibbygart. kevin-kirkwood.com   |   @kevinwillpaint   |   @strandpodcast Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon. Produced by Kevin Kirkwood This episode was recorded October 1st, 2025 in Sausalito, California.    

Kevin Kirkwood recently sat down with Nina Katz, a Berkeley-based painter whose work explores the figure and portraiture. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Hong Kong, Nina studied in Boston before settling in the Bay Area. Largely self-taught, she’s been painting full time for the past 15 years; creating deeply expressive and intimate works. Nina’s latest exhibition, Figures and Fragments, is now on view at Jack Fischer Gallery in San Francisco through November 15. Learn more at ninakatz.com and jackfischergallery.com. "I am motivated by the process of painting and the dialogue that develops between me and the paint.  Over the years my work has moved between representation to figurative abstraction and back again. My work continues to resist categorization. It shifts, evolves, and refuses to settle into a tidy theme or style. I try not to chase what’s expected or popular; instead, I follow the work itself—its moods, its materials, its surprises. I still love to do commissioned portraits as well as revisit unfamiliar topics. This path is not always comfortable, but it is the most honest one I know. I trust the paint and I’m fueled, always, by a little angst—and maybe the occasional nudge from the goddess of creativity." – Nina Katz   Produced by Kevin Kirkwood kevin-kirkwood.com | @kevinwillpaint  |  @strandpodcast   Listen to The Strand via all major platforms. Including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.   This episode was recorded September 28, 2025 in Berkeley California.

Kevin Kirkwood shared a conversation with Fernanda Martínez Gutierrez, an Oakland based painter and muralist; In her work, she incorporates nature elements as themes, organic shapes, bold textures, and deconstructed patterns to develop intrinsic narratives. Recently her practice expanded to sculptures, where she experiments with different materials to translate her distinguishable shapes and mastery in color into delightful 3D pieces. Born and raised in Mexico City, Fernanda moved to the Bay Area in 2015 where she founded La Tinta. Under this name, she collaborated with brands such as Anthropologie, Lulu and Georgia, World Market Plus by licensing her work for a variety of products. Fernanda has exhibited her paintings throughout galleries; she has also created Mural installations at Meta, Google, Unity among other companies. Fernanda’s art and murals can be found across the Bay Area and select online platforms. www.fernandamartinezart.com @tinta_art A special thank-you to @victoriacgildersleeve_projects for making this conversation possible. Produced by Kevin Kirkwood kevin-kirkwood.com | @kevinwillpaint Listen to The Strand via the link in bio or at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand Available on all major platforms — Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, and Amazon.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with Fanny Wu, an architect and artist who lives and works in San Jose California. This episode is particularly meaningful to me because Fanny and I spent many afternoons sketching various locations of the communities that we helped design. Fanny is passionate in building and creating spaces that promote creativity and well-being.  She believes architecture surpasses the construction of materials and it fosters inspiring collective memories in one’s heart and brings the best out of the community. During the pandemic she started leading art sessions to help the community heal through art making and story-telling. Living and growing up in three different countries – Taiwan, New Zealand and America, she is constantly adjusting and relearning about her identity.  The more she engages with the community, the more she realizes a healthy environment begins with a healthy mindset. She believes a true sustainable future can be crafted when individuals are empowered to share the richness of their stories and cultures. This has pivoted her focus to the pursuit of Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry (BSSM). She graduated second year in 2025 and is a certified Art SOZO Facilitator. Her heart is to see revival happen through art and healing in one's soul. Produced by Kevin Kirkwood kevin-kirkwood.com | @kevinwillpaint fannyfjwu.wixsite.com/art-for-the-soul| @fannyfjwu

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with Lenny Grant, an architect who lives and works in San Luis Obispo, California. This episode is particularly meaningful to me because Lenny played an important role in my early growth as an architectural designer. With over thirty years of experience, Lenny brings a thoughtful perspective to his role as Managing Partner at RRM Design Group. His work—primarily focused on housing—draws inspiration from travels across Europe, Africa, and Asia, reflecting a passion for timeless, community-centered design. Beyond architecture, Lenny is deeply engaged in local initiatives, including the San Luis Obispo Housing Coalition, REACH, and the County Housing Trust Fund. His commitment to both design excellence and community betterment makes him an exceptional leader and voice in contemporary architecture. Produced by Kevin Kirkwood kevin-kirkwood.com | @kevinwillpaint rrmdesign.com | @rrmdesigngroup

Kevin Kirkwood visits artist Kim Anno in her Berkeley, California studio for a conversation about how her family influenced her creative beginnings, what inspired her to make her collection of films, and her journey to becoming a Guggenheim fellow in 2024. Kim Anno is a painter, photographer, and filmmaker/video artist born in Los Angeles whose work has been collected and exhibited by museums nationally and internationally. Her work is in the intersection of art, science history, and societal dilemma surrounding climate change, and adaptation. She received a US dept of State award for her work: Water Cities, Indonesia, and the Asian Cultural Council NY. In 2023, a monograph and solo exhibition by Anno was presented by Anglim/Trimble Gallery, San Francisco and in 2024 she released her first documentary feature film: “¡Quba!” and “Water Cities, Indonesia." The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood kevin-kirkwood.com  @kevinwillpaint / @strandpodcast Kim Anno: kimanno.com @anno.kim Anglim Trimble: anglimtrimble.com @anglimtrimble Kyung Lee: Kyunglee.com @kiyonle Wild Projects: wildprojects.org @wildprojectsproductions Quba Film Qubafilm.com @qubafilm

Kevin Kirkwood shares a conversation with artist Chase Lanier, recorded live at Westobou Gallery. Together, they explore Chase’s process, his approach to making, and the conceptual ideas that inform his work. Chase is a boomerang native of Augusta, GA, where he teaches art at the Academy of Richmond County. In 2024, he showed at ArtFields in Lake City, SC — the annual competition that brings together artists from across the Southeast. During that event, Chase received the Sumter Gallery’s Southeastern Partners Exhibition Award, which led to his current solo show, “Within the Margin of Error”, now on view at the Sumter County Gallery of Art. Special thanks to Matt Porter and the team at Westobou for their support. Produced by Kevin Kirkwood (@kevinwillpaint / @strandpodcast) www.sumtergallery.com @sumtergallery www.chaselanierart.com @chaselanierart www.artfieldssc.org @artfieldssc www.westobou.org @westobou www.kevin-kirkwood.com @kevinwillpaint @strandpodcast

Kevin Kirkwood chopped it up with David Clifton-Strawn, an Atlanta based fine-art photographer. David focuses his practice on exploring the traditional art of portraiture through a contemporary queer lens.  Clifton-Strawn's work is represented by Alan Avery Art Company and has been exhibited across the United States, Canada and Europe. His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia and several private collections. He was the recipient of the 2022-23 City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs Emerging Artist Award in photography. He currently serves as the Executive Director for the Atlanta Photography Group.   The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint @davidcliftonstrawn @atlantaphotographygroup @alanaveryartcompany @kailinart   kevinwillpaint.com davidcliftonstrawn.com alanaveryartcompany.com atlantaphotographygroup.org kailinart.com

Kevin Kirkwood sat down with Craig Drennen at Westobou—one of the South’s standout contemporary art spaces—to talk about his creative practice and his latest curatorial project, The End Space – The First Five Years. This exhibition is currently on view at Westobou through August 2.   Craig is a 2018 Guggenheim Fellow, represented by Brigitte Mulholland Gallery in Paris. His recent solo exhibitions include shows at The Suburban in Milwaukee and Freight+Volume in New York City.   Beyond his own studio work, Craig has made a significant impact as an educator and curator. He’s served as dean at the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, teaches at Georgia State University, and runs THE END Project Space, his ongoing curatorial platform—which is also the impetus for this conversation.   A special thanks to Matt Porter and the incredible team at Westobou for their warm hospitality and for making this conversation possible.   Produced by @kevinwillpaint kevinwillpaint.com   craigdrennen.com @craigdrennen @the_end_project_space westobou.org @westobou thesuburban.org @the_suburban_exhibitions brigittemulholland.com @brigittemulhollandparis huntermuseum.org @huntermuseum mariettacobbartmuseum.org @mariettacobbartmuseum

Kevin Kirkwood joined Juliette for a conversation a few weeks ago while he was living in Lacoste, France. This episode captures a fleeting, intimate moment in time and feels particularly special. Because at the time of the conversation, she was pregnant. Just last week, she welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. This episode offers a glimpse into her life during a profound period of transition. Juliette recently had a solo exhibition at the Reiter Gallery in Leipzig, Germany. The show was titled “If you want, we will love each other.” In this interview, she reflects on the significance of that body of work and shares her thoughts on entering motherhood.   juliettesturlese.com @juliette_sturlese  reitergalleries.com @reiter_galleries   The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint @strandpodcast kevinwillpaint.com   All episodes are available at the link in bio, www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood shared a few minutes with Diego at his art gallery in Marseille, France.  In this conversation, Diego shares insights from his time at the École du Louvre, and how his career has taken him through esteemed auction houses like Tajan in Paris and Sotheby’s in London. Galerie Diego Escobar, formerly known as ArtCan Gallery, dedicated to contemporary art. Founded by Diego Escobar in 2016, this Marseille-based gallery is distinguished by its passion for art and its commitment to promoting emerging and recognized talents on the international contemporary art scene. A fundamental aspect of Galerie Diego Escobar’s mission is its interaction with various institutions, both private, such as foundations, and public. This interaction fosters fruitful collaborations and solid partnerships, enabling the artists supported by the gallery to benefit from extended visibility and privileged relationships with these key players in the contemporary art world. The Galerie Diego Escobar is a dynamic place where creativity, innovation and artistic promotion meet. Reflecting Diego Escobar’s ongoing commitment to contemporary art. galerie-escobar.com @galeriediegoescobar The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint @strandpodcast kevinwillpaint.com All episodes are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.  

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with David Van Doesburg, owner of the Amsterdam-based gallery Stigter Van Doesburg. They explore David’s early creative roots in film and television, the artists that the gallery represents today, and the vision behind NAP+—a platform co-founded by David to support emerging and mid-career artists, curators, and galleries through accessible and affordable opportunities. Whether you're passionate about contemporary art or curious about the intersections of media and gallery culture, this conversation offers an inside look at the evolving art world from the perspective of a gallerist and cultural connector. https://www.stigtervandoesburg.com/ https://www.napplus.nl/ The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint @strandpodcast All episodes are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood visited the studio of Dutch painter, Pim Blokker. In this conversation, they talk about what he enjoys about being a painter and why humor is important to his craft. This recording was made in late February, prior to our knowledge that he would be invited to show his work at the Stigter Vandoesburg gallery in Amsterdam. Since this recording, his solo exhibition was titled “no Worries”. To learn more about this body of work, visit StigterVan Douesburg.com or PimBlokker.com. Pim Blokker approaches the canvas as a game board. In his work the perspective continuously shifts or stretches out, and formal qualities and the physical act of painting both collide and merge. Blokker is not interested in illusion making but in linking personal associations to new depictions of reality. He sees the collective consciousness as something without a structure, end, or beginning, and plays with our fixed connotations and expectations of reality. This he does through juxtaposition, a confrontational use of logic and a slapstick kind of humor. The lightness of a joke sets off the gravity of tragedy and visa versa. Juxtaposing hilarity and horror, two emotional extremes, allows him to examine somber issues in a playful way, to pass off absurdities as logical and to undermine seemingly established facts. His work shows a certain lightness and openness what is particularly evident in the wall paintings he created especially for the gallery. The brushstrokes have a leisure like quality and remind of the optimism of some 1950’s paintings. Blokker knows his classics and can borrow iconography from the 80’s to give his own interpretation of all he likes to use. Instagram @pimblok_ker The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint @strandpodcast All episodes are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.  

Kevin Kirkwood visited the studio of photo and video artist Daya Cahen. There, they talked about how some of her childhood experiences impact the work that she creates today.  Daya Cahen (NL/USA, born in Amsterdam) studied photography at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. She works primarily in the fields of photography and video. In her work, she focuses on forms of political influence and the systematic manipulation of the human being. Her main interest lies in the power of mass media and its use in the construction and presentation of propaganda, indoctrination or manipulation. Having two parents who survived WOII as Jewish children, the artist grew up with the notion that the world can change on you in a day and you never know at which end of the line you will end up. A society can turn against any group of people. Investigating how these developments of indoctrination, radicalization and fear of otherness can arise within society form the starting point for all of Cahen’s work. Her works have been widely screened and exhibited among others at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin), Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark, the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Dutch Photo Museum, Kunstmuseum Bonn, De Appel arts centre (Amsterdam), Wiels (Brussels), Centre Pompidou and Palais de Tokyo (Paris). She participated in various international film including Short Film Festival Oberhausen, IDFA, International Film Festival Rotterdam and was nominated for a Golden Bear (Short Film) at the Berlin International Film Festival.   DayaCahen.com IG @daya.cahen   The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint @strandpodcast All episodes are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.   Images courtesy of Daya Cahen

Kevin Kirkwood met with Lucas Lenglet at his Amsterdam studio. Lucas shared stories about his early installations, his solo show at Stigter Van Doesburg Gallery, and his latest endeavors in making ceramic sculptures. Lucas Lenglet (b. 1972 in Leiden, the Netherlands) makes sculpture and works with photography in which he explores notions of inclusion and exclusion. Using the language of architecture and the built environment Lenglet aims to soften the border between extremities like safety and danger, public and private, Yes and No, or self and other. Lenglet lives and works in Amsterdam where he studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. His work has been featured in one person exhibitions in Palais de Tokyo, Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam, Stigter Van Doesburg gallery and Kröller-Müller Museum. He participated in numerous group exhibitions including Atelier Néerlandais in Parijs, Pori Art Museum, Marta Herfort, 3rd Athens Biennale, Martin-Gropius-Bau Berlin, Witte de With (now Kunstinstituut Melly) in Rotterdam and Noordbrabants Museum. www.lucaslenglet.com Instagram @lucaslenglet The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint @strandpodcast All episodes are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood shared a conversation with the talented Cara K. Griffin a few weeks ago in Lacoste, France. She shared stories about growing up in Alabama, the loss of someone special, and how she fuses her yogi lifestyle into a creative practice.  Cara K. Griffin is a multidisciplinary artist based in Maui, Hawai‘i, working from a 100-year-old pineapple cannery. Her work explores impermanence, material transformation, and the tension between control and surrender. Fusing painting and sculpture, she uses smoke, plaster, plant matter, and metal leaf to create textured, evolving surfaces. Rooted in fine art and movement studies, her work is visceral and tactile—gestural, physical, and in constant flux. carakgriffin.com instagram- @free.the.pelvis @cara.k.griffin.art The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint @strandpodcast All episodes are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood shared a conversation with the talented Ruth Ribeaucourt a few weeks ago in Lacoste, France. Ruth opened up about her Irish heritage, her early entrepreneurial spark, and the experiences that led her into the creative world. Ruth began her career as an international publicist and talent handler for Walt Disney Studios before trading the world of cinema for a slower life in Provence, France. Since 2010, she has immersed herself in making, creating, and collaborating—first through her jewelry line, then as a writer and photographer for publications such as Where Women Create, My French Country Home, and Quilt Mania, as well as for publishers including Flammarion, Hardie Grant UK, and Simon & Schuster. In 2019, she launched an international creative retreat program, fostering connection through storytelling. Her passion for giving creatives a platform led her to create the independent print publication FAIRE magazine in 2021—an intimate, honest space for sharing creatives’ stories. A dedicated facilitator of workshops, exhibitions, and events, Ruth is committed to nurturing and empowering the creative community.   www.ruthribeaucourt.com www.fairepress.com Instagram: @ruthribeaucourt |  @faire.press   The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint All episodes are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.   Images courtesy of Ruth Ribeaucourt    

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with artist Cyril Carret for a conversation at his home in Lacoste France. They dive into Cyril’s journey as a creative person, exploring his early influences and the experiences that led him to move to his hillside retreat in the Luberon. Cyril is a multidisciplinary artist with an extensive creative background in photography and interior design. Today, he channels his creative energy into making concrete sculptures, working from his workshop and gallery in the picturesque village of Goult.   CyrilCarret.art @cyril_carret   The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint All episodes are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.

Kevin Kirkwood shared a few minutes in Lacoste, France with Gérard-Philippe Mabillard, a talented Swiss portrait photographer. Gérard is also a passionate contributor to the Moipourtoit Foundation, an organization dedicated to uplifting the community of Pereira, Colombia. One of his latest projects is a book titled The Stars Share, which features over 150 black-and-white portraits of both famous and lesser-known individuals. Among the notable figures are Penélope Cruz, Quentin Tarantino, Sir Christopher Hampton, and Javier Bardem. All proceeds from his portraits go directly to the Moi Pour Toit Foundation.   @gerardphilippemabillard gpm-photography.com @fondation_moipourtoit moipourtoi.org   The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint   All episodes are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.   Images courtesy of Gérard-Philippe Mabillard Richard Dumas Yann Steininger    

Kevin Kirkwood met in Armin’s Berlin studio and talked about his solo exhibition, “LUST ANGST SCHMERZ EKSTASE,” which occurred last autumn at KÖNIG GALERIE. They also talked about some of the things that inspire him and the impetus that pushed him into the creative world. LUST ANGST SCHMERZ EKSTASE, a solo exhibition by Armin Boehm in the Nave of St. Agnes. This exhibition marks Boehm’s debut with the gallery, featuring his latest series of paintings that delve into the tangled web of human emotions, exploring desire, fear, pain, and ecstasy through his distinctive, multilayered approach. Created between 2023 and 2024, the works explore a diverse range of motifs. His paintings, accompanied by preparatory drawings that offer insight into his creative process, blend allegory and caricature within a rich tradition of social commentary. Vivid, hybrid characters and chaotic scenes are meticulously crafted to convey a sense of unease. This approach is reminiscent of medieval iconography, which used dramatic and often unsettling imagery to convey religious, moral, and societal messages. Additionally, Boehm’s work draws from the exaggerated forms of early 20th-century satirical art.   The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint All episodes are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon. arminboehm.de @arminboehm koeniggalerie.com @koeniggalerie

Episode 064: Nicolas Rupcich Kevin Kirkwood met with Nicolas at the Reiter Gallery in Berlin, Germany to talk about his recent solo exhibition titled, “Offline Islands”.  In this show, he  presented a series of video installations and works developed over the past two years as a result of an artist’s residency in the Arctic Circle. These works primarily address themes related to image production in remote regions of our planet and the often-paradoxical nature of these processes.   Nicolás Rupcich (Santiago, 1981) / Lives and works in Berlin. He grew up in the Chiloé island in the south of Chile, before studying Fine Arts at Universidad Finis Terrae in Santiago, and then taking a Masters in Visual Arts at Universidad de Chile. He acquired a degree as a Meisterschüler in Media Arts at HGB Leipzig, supported by a DAAD scholarship in 2012. Since then, he has lived in Germany. Rupcich works across a variety of media, focusing mainly on experimenting in photography, video and animation. Thematically, his works explore the functions, effects and behaviors related to the digital image, where what we see on a daily basis as conventions of the screen in fact alter and impact upon our understanding of reality. His works have been exhibited in several video and media arts festival and exhibitions, including: Art Speaks Out, ikonoTV – COP27 (Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt 2022); Macro Asilo, Museum of Contemporary Art (Rome, Italy 2018); Video Sur, Palais de Tokyo (Paris, France 2018); Collage I – Methode, Fotogalerie Wien (Vienna, Austria 2017); Pacific Standard Time LA/LA: Video Art in Latin America, LAXART (L.A., USA 2017); Ars Electronica Festival, Best of Animation/Film/VFX, (Linz, Austria 2014); Transmediale, Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin, Germany 2012); 28 Kasseler Dokfest (Kassel, Germany 2011); Chili, l’envers du décor, Espace Culturel Louis Vuitton (Paris, France 2010); and the 7º Bienal del Mercosur – Projetáveis (Porto Alegre, Brazil 2009).   The Strand is produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint All episodes are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.   nicolasrupcich.com @rupcich reitergalleries.com @Reiter_galleries

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with another Berlin based artist, Tiziana Jill Beck. She primarily works in drawing, often combined with artistic publications, installative objects, and paintings. Her work is characterized by a great joy in experimentation with material, form, color, and perspective. After extended stays in South Korea and Paris, Tiziana lives and works now in Berlin. She is currently preparing for her solo exhibition that will occur later this year at Gallery Judith Andreae. All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.   Produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint    TizianaJillBeck.DE @tizianajill galerie-andreae.de @galeriejudithandreae

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with Alban in his Berlin studio to explore the key milestones that have shaped his remarkable career. They delve into his thought-provoking contribution to the 2019 Venice Biennale and unpack the deeper themes behind his latest documentary, I Believe the Portrait Saved Me. The film has already captured significant attention at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), cementing Alban's place at the forefront of contemporary art and filmmaking. Alban Muja (b. 1980, Mitrovica) is a Kosovan contemporary artist and filmmaker based in Berlin and Prishtina. Influenced primarily by the social, political, and economic transformation processes in the wider surrounding region, he investigates history and socio-political themes, linking them to his position in Kosovo today. In 2019, Muja represented the Pavilion of the Republic of Kosovo at the 58th Venice Biennale with his three-channel moving image project Family Album. Selected other exhibitions include: Manifesta Biennale 14, Prishtina; Ludwig Museum, Budapest; MAXXI Museum, Rome; 3rd Industrial Art Biennial, Istria, Croatia; MOMus Experimental Center for the Arts, Thessaloniki; Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn; Guangdong Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje; MeetFactory, Prague; Forum Stadtpark, Graz; James Gallery, New York; City Art Gallery, Ljubljana; Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou; Museum of Fine Art, Split; Trieste Contemporanea; Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rijeka; Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw; 2nd Biennial of Contemporary Art in the Atomic Shelter, Konjic, BiH; Škuc Gallery, Ljubljana; National Gallery of Kosovo; Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills; Slovak National Gallery; Staatliche Kunsthalle, Baden-Baden; 28th Ljubljana Graphic Biennale; nGbK, Berlin; National Gallery of Arts, Tirana; and Cetinje Biennale, among others.   All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.   Produced by Kevin Kirkwood @kevinwillpaint   AlbanMuja.com @AlbanMuja reitergalleries.com @reiter_galleries   Images courtesy of the artist.    

Kevin Kirkwood visited Berlin-based artist Caroline Kryzecki. Known for her intricate ballpoint pen drawings, she exclusively uses the four most commonly available colors: blue, black, red and green. To a certain degree Kryzecki’s drawings, or rather paintings on paper (up to 270 x 190 cm), are remnants of analog writing; calligraphy exercises with a ruler that express both the sensuality of an ornament and the meticulousness of a plan drawing. They illustrate conceptual appropriations and variations of an aesthetic practice that emerged originally from an error in production: the Moire effect. As Caroline prepares for a solo exhibition later this year, we dive deep into her creative process and the ideas that shape her unique vision. More about Caroline: Caroline Kryzecki (b. 1979 in Wickede/Ruhr, Germany) became known for her ballpoint pen drawings, in which she translates a digital malfunction into an analog production method. She primarily works on paper with a minimalist-conceptual approach but also creates site-specific installations. While on a fellowship at the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in Connecticut, USA, Kryzecki began working with brush prints on point paper, a technical grid paper used in weaving. Defining a field, eliminating hierarchies, and trusting the process are central aspects of her creative practice. Repetition becomes the principle of deviation within an algorithmic system. By combining colors, varying size and orientation, and modulating opacity and transparency, Kryzecki creates a wide range of variations in her works.  Kryzecki lives and works in Berlin. She studied at the Berlin University of the Arts. Her work has been featured at institutions like the Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf (2025), the Overbeck Society – Lübeck Art Association (2024), the British Museum, London (2022), The Drawing Center, New York (2021), and the Boros Foundation (2020), Berlin.   All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.   Produced by Kevin Kirkwood - @kevinwillpaint   www.kryzecki.de www.sexauer.eu @caroline_kryzecki @sexauer_gallery   Portrait by @kareen_kittelmann

Episode 60: Henning Strassburger Kevin Kirkwood chops it up with Henning at KÖNIG GALERIE in Berlin, Germany. They talked about his current exhibition on view at the gallery until February 23. Henning Strassburger (b. 1983 in Meissen, Germany) explores the intersection of identity, mass media, and self-representation in the digital age. Known primarily for his colorful paintings, he has recently added figuration to his abstract practice. Strassburger’s works blend autobiographical elements with pop culture references, examining how identity is shaped by social media and consumer culture. At the heart of his practice is Alphakenny, an alter ego representing a fictionalized version of the artist grappling with artistic and social expectations. This figure navigates the tensions between personal identity and self-promotion, enriching the compositions with irony and cultural references. Strassburger lives and works in Berlin. He studied at the Akademie der Künste in Düsseldorf. His work has been featured in numerous group exhibitions, including at Kunstraum Potsdam (2022), Kunsthal Rotterdam (2020), Deichtorhallen, Hamburg (2019), Aishti Foundation, Beirut (2018), and Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn (2016). Produced by @kevinwillpaint @the_strassburger henningstrassburger.com @koeniggalerie www.koeniggalerie.com All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon. Image courtesy of the artist. 

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with Trish at Bululu Studios in Savannah, Georgia. Their conversation highlights a few of the key moments in her creative career. She also talks about her latest exhibition at Laney Contemporary which was titled, Wild Frontier. This gathering of new work was a collaborative effort between Trish and her husband, Michael Porten. As an interdisciplinary artist born and raised in Dalton, Georgia "The Carpet Capital of the World”, Trish Andersen's initial attraction to the process of tufting was a means to reconnect with and explore her roots. Years after attending the Savannah College of Art and Design and moving on to live and work in Brooklyn, New York, she began using the medium as an examination of the notion that a thing or a way of being can run in our blood; that perhaps by observing the characteristics of personal origin and establishing commonality and community around those that reverberate in the present, one may be able to begin unearthing the elusive authentic self.  @kevinwillpaint @trishandersenart trishandersenstudio.com michaelporten.com @laneycontemporary laneycontemporary.com   All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.   Image by Adam Kuehl @adamkuehlphotography adamkuehl.com  

Kevin Kirkwood sat down with Antonia at the Savannah Cultural Arts Center in Savannah, Georgia to talk about "Adrift X Collision", the current exhibition on view at the SCAC until February 8. And they also discuss her art practice and exhibition at the Averitt Center of the Arts.  Antonia B. Larkin (B. Germany 1990) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Savannah, GA. She works primarily in video and sculpture to explore the intersections of time, memory, and the human experience. Larkin’s work challenges conventional perceptions of time as linear, presenting existence as continuous and renewing, while emphasizing the power of rest and stillness. She often incorporates non-traditional materials like bubble wrap, and dirt to create immersive environments that invite reflection on the emotional and spiritual dimensions of being. Larkin completed a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Cranbrook Academy of Art (2016). Her work has been exhibited nationally, including at Temple Contemporary in Philadelphia and Blanc Gallery in Chicago. @kevinwillpaint niablurkin averittcenterforthearts.org All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.  

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with Ezra J. Ali-Dow, an actor, arts educator, and poet currently teaching at the Savannah Cultural Arts Center. He was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, where the influence of his freedom to explore the city and its pockets of nature grew into a determination to explore the unknown. He attributes much of his artistry to his family and communities. Ezra aims to match discipline with a deep reserve of play and humor. Recently at the Cultural Arts Center, he co-curated the AdriftxCollision gallery which celebrates the synthesis of visual arts and writing.   @kevinwillpaint [email protected] @__alidow   All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon. Produced by Kevin Kirkwood  

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with William Ruller, an artist currently living and working in Apt, France. William was born in Gloversville NY, 1981 received a B.A. in painting and ceramics from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh in 2007. Following his undergraduate degree, Ruller moved to Oregon where he worked as a production potter and ceramics instructor. In 2014 he received his MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Ruller has been exhibited throughout Europe and the United States in numerous group and solo exhibitions. His painting has been featured in Friend of the Artist vol. 12, Whitewall Magazine, New American Paintings Issues 111, 124, and Studio Visit Magazine Issues 20, 21, 23. His work is in private collections such as Hyatt Hotel Corporation, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Museo Riso.  @kevinwillpaint @williamruller Williamruller.com All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.      

Kevin Kirkwood sits down with Keeana Heredia, an architectural designer based in Orlando, Florida. She thrives on exploring new ideas and techniques, always seeking fresh perspectives to bring her visions to life. An avid traveler, Keeana enjoys soaking up the architectural typologies of the places she visits, drawing inspiration from diverse styles and cultures. With strong leadership skills, she inspires those around her to push boundaries and embrace exciting projects that enhance and elevate the spaces they create. Her goal is to design environments that not only enhance functionality but also inspire those who experience them. @kevinwillpaint @kh_arch18 keeanaheredia.com All episodes of The Strand are available at www.kevinwillpaint.com/strand and on all major podcast platforms. Including Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon.