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
32: (Teaser) The DSA Podcast (Darcie, Sean, And Azikiwe)#1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:52
TEASER: Full episode available to Drip subscribers... Friends of the podcast Darcie Wilder and Azikiwe Mohammed came by this week to record the first of an ongoing, Drip-exclusive project: The DSA Podcast. I assigned wat…
31: Brian Belott [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:25
Following “People Pie Pool,” his ridiculous extravaganza for Performa, artist Brian Belott drops by my kitchen to talk about the finest aspects of the fine arts. We discussed his obsession with collecting children’s art…
30: Ruby McCollister [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:38
Comedian and self-described “aspiring actress” Ruby McCollister is my guest this week. We covered a ton of ground including the true meaning of “glam” comedy, what exactly is up with Joshua Tree, growing up backstage in…
29: Mitra Jouhari [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:16:47
The absolutely hilarious comedian Mitra Jouhari (@tweetrajouhari) stopped by the studio this week. An accomplished writer and actor, she also moonlights as ⅓ of the group Three Busy Debras and co-hosts the monthly It’s A…
28: Andrew Ross [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:06
Support Humor and the Abject on Drip: https://d.rip/humorandtheabject In 2017 alone, artist Andrew Ross has had three solo exhibitions between New York and Milan. To say he’s prolific would be an understatement. He stopp…
27: Chloe Wise [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:42
One of my dangdest friends, Chloe Wise, came by the studio this week. She and I got to talk about her recent solo exhibition in Paris (France, not Texas), whether being Canadian automatically makes you funny, trying out…
26: Orlando Estrada [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10:32
Orlando Estrada, who just wrapped up a month-long fellowship in Seoul, South Korea, is my guest this week. On this episode, we talked about mysticism, his extended family of spiritual mediums, psychedelics, camp, his nig…
25: Guantanamo Baywatch (Jason Powell) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:24
Bonus mini episode! Jason Powell, lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for Guantanamo Baywatch took some time out of his busy tour schedule to catch up with me. We’ve known each other for almost a decade, and I was t…
24: Street Fight Radio -- LIVE! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:07
Columbus, Ohio’s finest, Brett Payne and Bryan Quinby from Street Fight Radio, joined me this week for the first-ever live Humor and the Abject podcast. We covered many of their favorite topics: shitty bosses, stealing f…
23: Eileen Isagon Skyers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:43
Artist, writer, curator, and gallerist Eileen Isagon Skyers is our guest this week. We spoke about her signature approach to experimental video art, what Florida is all about, her research on internet art and web interfa…