87: Tabitha Nikolai

87: Tabitha Nikolai

Author: Sean J Patrick Carney October 28, 2018 Duration: 1:12:36
Fresh off her solo exhibition, “Utopia Without You” at Williamson | Knight in Portland, OR, artist Tabitha Nikolai linked up with me to talk Nightcore, earnest rites of suburban occult, post-cataclysmic world-building, junk food asteroids, crust punk elves in the Pacific Northwest, a general malaise with liberalism and prescriptive visibility, isolation and the gamer's den, her fictitious corporation called Dynamic Horizons Limited, upgrade culture, planned and perceived obsolescence, cosplay and D&D, performative allyship in art institutions and gallery spaces, and growing up in Utah. The outro music is Don McClean’s “The Flight of Dragons (Nightcore Remix).” Humor and the Abject just migrated over from Drip to Patreon. Subscribe today for just $3/mo: https://www.patreon.com/humorandtheabject Check out Tabitha’s website here: https://tabithanikolai.com/ See images from “Utopia Without You” here: https://www.williamsonknight.com/tabitha-nikolai/

Sean J Patrick Carney hosts Humor and the Abject Podcast, a series that finds the funny in the often challenging and unsettling world of contemporary art. This isn't a dry lecture or a fawning interview show; instead, Carney digs into the messy, the awkward, and the deliberately provocative corners of the art scene to see what makes us laugh, even when we might feel we shouldn't. Each episode feels like a conversation that could only happen here, one that acknowledges how discomfort and comedy are frequently intertwined in the work being made today. You'll hear discussions that grapple with ideas that are both intellectually rigorous and genuinely amusing, exploring why artists so often use humor to tackle difficult subjects. The podcast provides a unique, accessible entry point into contemporary practices, suggesting that laughter can be a powerful tool for understanding. Tuning in, you get the sense of being let in on a series of inside jokes that, once explained, reveal something much deeper about culture and creativity. It’s for anyone curious about art but tired of overly serious commentary, offering a fresh and engaging perspective that only this particular blend of host and subject matter can deliver.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Humor and the Abject Podcast
Podcast Episodes
62: Kristen Jensen & Ben Dowell... LIVE! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:37
Live from their exhibition “Everything Speaks” at Geary Contemporary in New York City, artists Kristen Jensen and Ben Dowell join Humor and the Abject for a fun conversation on making art for non-art audiences, gravity,…
61: Alex Da Corte [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:52
The Philadelphia Tapes Part II: Alex Da Corte. It was a real treat during my trip to Philly to have the opportunity to swing by Alex Da Corte’s studio and record an episode. He’s one of the sweetest and hardworking artis…
60: James Allister Sprang [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:09
Artist James Allister Sprang is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world. On a recent weekend trip down to Philadelphia, I had the privilege of catching up with James on the very day that he completed his MFA at…
59: Chris Oh [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:17
Chris Oh is a painter’s painter. He loves wiggling a brush around on a canvas and has been weirding people out in New York for years with his photorealistic and psychedelic paintings. On this week’s episode, Chris droppe…
58: Ariel Jackson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:53
Skyping in from her studio at the University of Texas at Austin, artist Ariel Jackson is my guest this week. She produces sculpture, video, performance, and installation works that are research-driven critiques of United…
57: Loney Abrams & Johnny Stanish [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:52
To celebrate my big birthday, artistic and curatorial duo Loney Abrams and Johnny Stanish stopped by and talked about the history of their alternative exhibition platform, Hotel Art. We discussed the project’s formation,…
56: Yusef Roach [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:01
From his bed in sunny Los Angeles, CA, comedian Yusef Roach joins Humor and the Abject to talk KoЯn, a recent visit to Idaho, libertarianism, the comedy scene in his former home of Austin, making friends without a car in…
55: Carly Mark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:02
Artist Carly Mark caught early attention for painting grotesque and comical renderings of Haribo brand gummy bear packaging. But she’s never been content just being known for a single approach to working, and in the last…
53: Ebony L Haynes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:08
Ebony L Haynes is a writer, curator, and currently the director of both Martos Gallery and Shoot the Lobster. Despite the wicked ass Nor’Easter, she made the trek to my kitchen to sit down and talk about her life and wor…