The Art World: In Other Words, Investigating America with Artist Catherine Opie

Tune in for this wide-ranging discussion with artist Catherine Opie, a tenured professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, whose internationally-exhibited art investigates the boom and bust of American life and the subtleties of human identity.

The artist—who famously carved the word “pervert” on her chest in 1994 as part of a work tackling the AIDS crisis and challenging ideas of deviancy—finds tenderness within stereotypes.

Opie discusses what it means to be radical today, and the importance of building communities that can bridge divisions within society, whether finding unity within museum boards or philosophy within the S&M community.

She talks to our host Charlotte Burns about her own success as an artist and her recognition of gender disparity within the art world, and the importance of representation. Opie tells us about her influences and talks about the shifting impact of social media on photography as an art form. She discusses her dream project and her optimism about the art world: “There's shitty books, there's shitty movies, there's shitty art,” she says. “And then there's all the pearls in-between that actually move people.”

Transcript: https://www.artagencypartners.com/transcript-73-catherine-opie/

"In Other Words” is a presentation of AAP and Sotheby’s, produced by Audiation.fm.