A brush with… Teresita Fernández

A brush with… Teresita Fernández

Author: The Art Newspaper August 20, 2025 Duration: 1:05:08
A brush with...
ArtsVisual

Teresita Fernández talks to Ben Luke about her influences—from writers to musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Fernández, born in 1968 in Miami, Florida, is, in the broadest sense, a landscape artist. But her work across three decades has been a rigorous consideration and poetic probing of the nature of landscape. Fundamentally a sculptor, she not only explores landscapes as visual phenomena, but uses the substances found within them to sculpt with—from graphite to iron ore, gold and pyrite. So they are her subject and her material. Beginning with profound research, Teresita reflects on land in relation to geography and geology, but also as a cultural space, with intimate connection to people and communities. Inevitably, then, this is a study of power, in which the history and violence of colonisation looms large. But the landscape is also a metaphor, for the territories within us. And in her works, whether they are vast sculptural or ceramic reliefs, room-scale installations or reflective canopies covering huge areas of public space, the viewer navigates this productive tension between the objective and subjective. She discusses the early significance of Wilfredo Lam, and his influence on her major public sculpture Fata Morgana (2015). She also reflects on her admiration for artists whose writings are central to their practice, including Eva Hesse and Jack Whitten, and her deep engagement and critical response to Robert Smithson. She talks about her pivotal experiences in Japan and the influence of historic Asian art on her thinking. She talks about her friendship with and admiration for Cecilia Vicuña and the importance of the writings of José Martí and Sylvia Wynter, among others. Plus, she gives insight into her life in the studio and answers our usual questions, including the ultimate: what is art for?


Teresita Fernández: Liquid Horizon, Lehmann Maupin, Seoul, 27 August-25 October; Teresita Fernández/Robert Smithson, Radius Books, published 16 October, $60, £42.99 (hb).

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Ever wondered what really makes an artist tick? A brush with... from The Art Newspaper goes beyond the finished work to explore the daily rhythms and deep inspirations that fuel the creative process. Each episode is a quiet, focused conversation between host Ben Luke and a leading international artist, structured around a set of deceptively simple questions. You’ll hear them discuss the historical and contemporary figures they look to, the museums they find themselves drawn back to repeatedly, and the books, music, and films that shape their thinking. Crucially, Luke invites them to describe the mundane magic of the studio-what actually happens there day to day. This approach reveals the person behind the practice in a way that feels intimate and genuine. Sponsored by Bloomberg Connects, the podcast builds a rich portrait of artistic life, one thoughtful dialogue at a time. It’s for anyone curious about the web of influences and habits that culminate in a piece of art, offering a rare glimpse into the minds that shape our visual culture. Tune in for conversations that are less about interrogation and more about discovery, where the answers often surprise even the artists themselves.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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A brush with...
Podcast Episodes
A brush with... Helen Marten [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:20
Ben Luke talks to the British artist Helen Marten about her influences—including those from the worlds of literature, music, and, of course, art—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Marten wor…
A brush with... Theaster Gates [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:47
Ben Luke talks to Theaster Gates about his influences—including writers, musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Gates is an artist whose ever…
A brush with... John Akomfrah [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:24
Ben Luke talks to John Akomfrah about his influences—including writers, musicians, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work.Akomfrah was born in Accra, Gha…
A brush with... William Kentridge [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:38
Ben Luke talks to William Kentridge about his influences—from the worlds of literature, music, film and, of course, art—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Kentridge was born in 1955 in Johan…
A brush with... Anicka Yi [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:58
Ben Luke talks to Anicka Yi about her influences—from the worlds of literature, music and, of course, art—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Yi creates installations and objects that sit on…
A brush with... Glenn Brown [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:16
In this 50th episode of A brush with…, Ben Luke talks to Glenn Brown about his influences—from writers to film-makers, musicians and, of course, artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Br…
A brush with... Adam Pendleton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:07
Ben Luke talks to Adam Pendleton about his influences—from the worlds of literature, music and, of course, art—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Pendleton, born in 1984 in Richmond, Virgini…
A brush with… Pierre Huyghe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:19
Ben Luke talks to Pierre Huyghe about his influences—including writers, musicians and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped his life and work. Huyghe was born in 1962 in Paris and today…
A brush with... Zadie Xa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:41
Ben Luke talks to the Canadian-Korean artist Zadie Xa about her influences—from the worlds of literature, film, music and, of course, art—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Xa was born in 19…
A brush with... Lina Iris Viktor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:13
Ben Luke talks to Lina Iris Viktor about her influences—including writers, film-makers, musicians, and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work. Born in the UK in 1987, th…

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