Kunst Speak With Brask

Welcome to Kunst Speak with Brask. In this podcast, we explore the world of art through the eyes of passionate art enthusiasts based in Los Angeles and New York. Together with art collector, publisher, and curator Jens-Peter Brask, we uncover inspiring perspectives, captivating stories, and memorable anecdotes from the art world. Our mission is to spark curiosity and encourage more people to connect with and appreciate art in all its forms. Join us as we embark on this creative journey together.In this episode, we visit tattoo artist and painter Jeffrey Sypherd in his studio in Brooklyn, New York. Jeffrey has spent the past 15 years working as a tattoo artist, having started at the age of 21. At the same time, painting has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. Although he had always painted, it was not until he moved from California to New York in 2018 that he began to develop a more serious and dedicated painting practice.When Jeffrey first arrived in New York, he started working in a traditional street shop, tattooing clients while continuing to explore painting independently. For several years, these two practices existed alongside one another, each occupying its own space in his creative life. Tattooing was his profession, while painting offered a different kind of freedom and an opportunity to explore his ideas beyond the constraints of working on the human body.Over time, however, the boundaries between the two disciplines began to blur. In 2023, Jeffrey made the decision to bring tattooing and painting together, creating a practice in which the two forms of expression could inform and influence one another. Since then, he has continued to develop this combined approach, exploring the connections between images made on skin and those created on canvas.In our conversation, we talk about Jeffrey’s journey between these two worlds and what it means to build an artistic practice that draws on both. We explore how his experience as a tattoo artist has shaped the way he approaches painting, and how the discipline, immediacy and visual language of tattooing can translate into a different medium.We also discuss the transition from working in a traditional tattoo shop to developing a more integrated artistic practice, and how moving to New York became an important turning point in his career. For Jeffrey, the relationship between tattooing and painting is no longer a question of choosing one over the other, but rather of finding ways for the two to coexist and enrich each other.Through his work, Jeffrey challenges the distinction between tattooing as a craft and painting as a fine art, exploring how both can become part of a broader visual language. His story is one of artistic evolution, experimentation and the search for a practice that reflects the different sides of his identity as an artist.You can find Kunst Speak with Brask on Spotify and everywhere else you normally listen to podcasts. If you enjoy the series, feel free to give us a few stars! Tune in. @curatedbyjenspeterbrask @jeffsypherd

Welcome to Kunst Speak with Brask. In this podcast, we explore the world of art through the eyes of passionate art enthusiasts based in Los Angeles and New York. Together with art collector, publisher, and curator Jens-Peter Brask, we uncover inspiring perspectives, captivating stories, and memorable anecdotes from the art world. Our mission is to spark curiosity and encourage more people to connect with and appreciate art in all its forms. Join us as we embark on this creative journey together.In this episode, we visit painter Deborah Brown in her Brooklyn studio in New York, where she has lived and worked for over 40 years. Over the course of her career, Deborah has developed a distinctive artistic practice, exhibiting her work in galleries and museums and gradually gaining wider recognition for her paintings.In many ways, Deborah is something of a late bloomer. Although she has been painting for decades, much of the recognition she enjoys today has come over the past ten years. This is partly a reflection of the evolution of her work, but it also coincides with a renewed interest in painting, particularly figurative art. As painting has regained attention in the contemporary art world, Deborah’s work has found an increasingly receptive audience.We talk about this journey and the changes that have shaped her practice over the years. One of the most significant shifts has been her move away from an intellectual, concept-driven approach towards a more intuitive way of working. Rather than trying to control or rationalise every aspect of a painting, she has learned to trust her instincts and allow the work to develop more organically. We explore what it means to let go of preconceived ideas, embrace uncertainty and find greater freedom in the act of painting itself.Beyond her own practice, Deborah has always maintained a strong connection to the wider art community. An avid art collector and passionate supporter of fellow artists, she has long been interested in the work of others and in the ways artists learn from one another. Around ten years ago, she ran a gallery for six years, organising exhibitions that brought together established artists and younger, emerging talents. Through these shows, she created opportunities for artists of different generations to share their work and enter into dialogue with one another.Visiting other artists’ studios became an especially important part of this experience. Seeing how other painters approached their work, made decisions and navigated the challenges of their practice also influenced Deborah’s own development. She reflects on how this exchange of ideas and perspectives helped her grow as an artist, reinforcing the idea that an artistic practice rarely develops in isolation.We also discuss her Shadow Paintings, a series that emerged during the pandemic. While walking her dog through the streets of Brooklyn, Deborah began noticing the shadows cast by herself and her dog. These everyday encounters became the starting point for a new body of work, transforming an ordinary walking ritual into an opportunity for observation and reflection.You can find Kunst Speak with Brask on Spotify and everywhere else you normally listen to podcasts. If you enjoy the series, feel free to give us a few stars! Tune in. @curatedbyjenspeterbrask @deborahbrownart

Welcome to Kunst Speak with Brask. In this podcast, we explore the world of art through the eyes of passionate art enthusiasts based in Los Angeles and New York. Together with art collector, publisher, and curator Jens-Peter Brask, we uncover inspiring perspectives, captivating stories, and memorable anecdotes from the art world. Our mission is to spark curiosity and encourage more people to connect with and appreciate art in all its forms. Join us as we embark on this creative journey together.In this episode, we visit artist couple SuSu and Austin Lee in their home and studio in Brooklyn, New York - a space where their personal lives and artistic practices come together.Both SuSu and Austin are visual artists, but they approach their work in different ways. SuSu primarily works with painting, while Austin moves between painting, sculpture, and video, exploring the relationship between digital technology and the physical world.Austin Lee is known for combining digital tools with traditional artistic techniques. His process often begins in the virtual world, using digital drawing and 3D modelling to develop images and forms that he later translates into physical paintings and sculptures. Through this process, he explores how technology is changing the way we experience images, emotions, and the world around us. His work often features vivid colours, distorted figures, and playful, almost cartoon-like imagery. At first glance, his works can feel humorous and lighthearted, but beneath their colourful surfaces lies a deeper curiosity about human experience, perception, and our increasingly digital lives.For SuSu, one of the most exciting aspects of making art is creating works that engage in a dialogue with their surroundings. The relationship between a work and the space it inhabits becomes an important part of the artistic process. Rather than existing in isolation, a piece can respond to its environment, changing how we experience both the artwork and the space around it.In this episode, we talk about their individual artistic languages and the technical processes behind their work. We explore how ideas develop, how materials and digital tools influence the creative process, and how an artwork moves from an initial thought or sketch to its final physical form.We also discuss what it means to share your life with another artist. How does being in a relationship with someone who understands the demands and uncertainties of an artistic practice influence the relationship? Does having a partner who works in the same field create a sense of support and understanding, or can it sometimes become difficult to separate work from everyday life? And how do two independent artistic practices coexist when both are such an integral part of a shared life? You can find Kunst Speak with Brask on Spotify and everywhere else you normally listen to podcasts. If you enjoy the series, feel free to give us a few stars! Tune in. @curatedbyjenspeterbrask @susu_public@austinleee

Welcome to Kunst Speak with Brask. In this podcast, we explore the world of art through the eyes of passionate art enthusiasts based in Los Angeles and New York. Together with art collector, publisher, and curator Jens-Peter Brask, we uncover inspiring perspectives, captivating stories, and memorable anecdotes from the art world. Our mission is to spark curiosity and encourage more people to connect with and appreciate art in all its forms. Join us as we embark on this creative journey together. In this episode, we speak with Banks Violette, an American visual artist based in Ithaca, New York.Banks is best known for his large-scale, monochromatic sculptures and installations, often made from industrial materials. His work has always had a strong physical presence, but beneath the polished and refined surfaces, there is often something darker and more unsettling. His practice draws on real-life events, music, metal and punk subcultures, as well as themes of destruction, mortality, and tragedy.During the 2000s, Banks was based in Brooklyn and became one of the most talked-about artists of his generation. His work was shown extensively, and he was part of a very active period in the New York art scene. But around 2012, he returned to Ithaca, where he grew up, and gradually stepped away from exhibiting new work.For almost ten years, Banks didn't show new work publicly. He essentially disappeared from the art world and chose to work privately, away from the pressure and expectations that come with exhibiting. It’s a decision that raises a lot of questions, especially considering how active and successful his career had been before that.It has also been about ten years since I last saw Banks. So in this conversation, we talk about what happened during those years, what led him to step away from exhibiting, and what it meant for him to leave the art world behind for a while.We also talk about how he creates his sculptures - from the initial idea and the choice of materials to the highly complex processes involved in bringing them into existence. Banks has a very particular way of working, and we go into the details of his process, his relationship with materials, and the craftsmanship behind the work.But the conversation is also about much more than the objects themselves. We talk about making art, the pressure of being an artist, success, expectations, and what happens when you decide to step away from all of it. We talk about what it means to continue making work when there is no immediate need to show it, and how taking a long break from exhibiting can change the way you think about your own practice.After ten years, it was interesting to sit down with Banks again and hear what has changed, what has stayed the same, and where he is now in his life and his work.You can find Kunst Speak with Brask on Spotify and everywhere else you normally listen to podcasts. If you enjoy the series, feel free to give us a few stars! Tune in. @curatedbyjenspeterbrask @banks_violette_616

Welcome to Kunst Speak with Brask. In this podcast, we explore the world of art through the eyes of passionate art enthusiasts based in Los Angeles and New York. Together with art collector, publisher, and curator Jens-Peter Brask, we uncover inspiring perspectives, captivating stories, and memorable anecdotes from the art world. Our mission is to spark curiosity and encourage more people to connect with and appreciate art in all its forms. Join us as we embark on this creative journey together. In this episode, we talk to Josh Smith, an American artist based between New York and Tennessee.Originally trained as a printmaker, Josh began working with collage in the early 2000s. Combining photocopies, documents, and drawings in layered compositions, he developed abstract images that draw on surrealist and expressionist approaches to painting.Josh first gained recognition in the early 2000s for a body of work consisting of paintings featuring the letters of his own name. Using these letters as a starting point, he transformed them into the foundation for abstract imagery.In recent years, Josh has produced numerous semi-figurative series exploring a wide range of subjects, including palm trees, skeletons, fish, and devils. One of his most recognisable motifs is the Grim Reaper, a figure that has appeared repeatedly throughout his work. The motif first became a major focus in 2017, when he presented a series of 11 Grim Reaper paintings in his solo exhibition at STANDARD (OSLO). The figure has since become closely associated with his visual language, reflecting his fascination with mortality, symbolism, and the tension between the playful and the darker sides of life.Josh works across many different mediums. He also creates artist books, sculptures, ceramics, and collages, often allowing ideas and images to move freely between different forms.What makes his practice particularly engaging is this constant movement between the personal and the universal, the abstract and the figurative, and the serious and the playful. His work seems to embrace the idea that a painting can be both immediate and mysterious - something that can be looked at, experienced, and interpreted without necessarily having to explain itself.In this episode, we talk with Josh about his artistic journey, his relationship with painting and other mediums, and the ideas, images, and impulses that continue to shape his work. You can find Kunst Speak with Brask on Spotify and everywhere else you normally listen to podcasts. If you enjoy the series, feel free to give us a few stars! Tune in. @curatedbyjenspeterbrask @joshiejosho@joshsmiththeartist