Give me a break

For the next episode of GMAB, we’re with one of the most insightful and dedicated arts critics around: Ben Luke. If you’re in the art world orbit, you will have heard his voice, you’ve maybe even preordered his new book, possibly begged to go on his podcast. Ben is a contributing editor at The Art Newspaper, and hosts of two of its podcasts, The Week in Artand A Brush With, exploring the cultural experiences and greatest influences of everyone who’s anyone who’s an artist. Ben cut his teeth in the press office of Tate, was Deputy Editor and Features Editor of the late Art World Magazine, and went on to become an art critic at The Evening Standard before joining The Art Newspaper. He’s written essays and catalogues on the likes of Michael Craig‑Martin, Sean Scully, Phyllida Barlow, and is a member of the advisory board for the UK’s Government Art Collection – above all, he's a devout believe that art enthusiasm and criticism can go hand in hand. Now, with over 120 podcast guests under his belt (from Arthur Jafa to Marlene Dumas), he's come to known a thing or two about navigating the art world with curiosity, care, and a healthy amount of scepticism. Ahead of the release of his new book, What is art for? Contemporary artists on their inspirations, influences and disciplines, Harriet picks Ben's brains on 25 years of being an art critic (spoiler: there's joy, self-doubt, pain and tears), shamelessly harvests podcast tips from one of the best in the biz, and turns the tables to ask Ben his own favourite question, with a twist: what are critics for?"One of the things about being a freelancer is just dealing with the knocking down, the pitches where you're desperate to write for somebody and they just aren’t interested.”

We’re out of the studio this week, and right in the belly of the beast (Tate Modern) for this special episode to track down Monster Chetwynd. Though she was born Alalia Chetwynd in 1973, the Turner Prize-nominated artist is best known by her previous stage names, which have included Spartacus Chetwynd and Marvin Gaye Chetwynd. Monster is celebrated for her wildly imaginative, carnivalesque performances and films, which often feature delightfully chaotic handmade props and puppets that reimagine pieces of cultural history, from the Canterbury Tales to Star Wars. Harriet manages to squeeze some time in with Monster in the midst of installing her Tate Uniqlo Play commission, Thunder, Crackle and Magic, involving creatures, costumes and dragons. They talk art school torture, navigating egos, and living for risk."It's a little bit difficult that you go from a subject that doesn't have any very obvious industry based outcome of employment to another subject that has exactly the same problem."

Gary Card doesn’t really do things by halves. The set designer, artist, illustrator, and unapologetic maximalist was born in Bournemouth in 1981. Growing up, he hated the beach, and instead spent his childhood indoors, drawing monsters, cartoons, and grotesque horror scenes – a love affair that endures today. Despite having never been to the theatre, Gary moved to London to study theatre design at Central Saint Martins. After graduating, his unique blend of chaotic creativity garnered early media attention, and he admits he found success before he’d fully honed his craft. Over a 20-year career working with the biggest names in fashion and pop culture, from Comme des Garçons and Louis Vuitton to Paul McCartney and Lady Gaga, Gary has earned a reputation as a maverick of maximalist set design, and fundamentally, an artist. Ahead of his Plaster Store takeover, where he transformed the entire space into a madman’s studio, Harriet Lloyd-Smith sat down with Gary to take a trip down the rabbit hole. They dive into his obsessive collecting, major mess ups, naughty clients and why brutal honesty is essential. "I think the 'A word' [artist] that came with baggage, analytical baggage for me, and it's hard to even put into words now. I did for a long time, dare not speak its name, because I didn't think I was worthy. And I am an artist. I've been an artist for years, but it took me a long time to actually have the confidence to say it out loud."

When it comes to the spirit of Give me a break, no one channels it quite like The White Pube. Comprising of Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad, the critical duo has been giving us a break from the elitism, nepotism, and dryness of the art world since 2015. Then, while still at university, they launched their collaborative platform, publishing plucky criticism and essays that cemented their reputation as the go-to antidote to stiff-lipped art world BS. They have since organised grants for working-class creatives, published a manifesto for a new art world, which took a hard stand against racism and nepotism and financial inequality for all (not just artists), and last year, launched the acclaimed book, Poor Artists, an experimental autofiction which explores how capitalism has turned art into commodities and creative expression into a gladiator ring.In this episode of GMAB, Harriet is joined by one half of the duo: Gabrielle. The pair sink their teeth into the messy business of knocking the art world off its high horse – talking salary transparency, defying art school snobs, lazy reviewing, and why it’s totally okay to have nothing to say, because sometimes words just aren't enough. “I never want to write stuff that people don't know what we’re on about. I want us to all be at the table, and we all know what we're all talking about, and it's comfortable”. Strap in, this one's a rodeo.

Harriet is joined by Joe Scotland, director of Clapham-based arts organisation, Studio Voltaire. Born in Coventry in 1978, Joe initially trained as an artist, studying textiles at Goldsmiths, but he soon became less interested in making art, and more interested in making space for it. Joe joined Studio Voltaire in 2003 and became director in 2010. Since then, the organisation has become one of the most respected visual art non-profits in the country, with shows by legends like Phyllida Barlow and Anthea Hamilton to breakout names like Danielle Braithwaite-Shirley. Joe looks back on childhood, where art didn't play a big role, but an early drag experience saw him come into his own, being confronted by issues of class in his early career and overcoming intense shyness. Joe has seen Studio Voltaire through 22 years of immense change, from its 2021 overhaul and increasing fundraising challenges, to a milestone show by Beryl Cook and Tom of Finland, who Joe now dubs his "queer parents". In 2023, he was awarded an MBE for services to the arts, a surreal moment that he never imagined for himself. In lieu of advice, Joe offers a refreshingly frank take on the economic climate for artists now. "Not to be a Debbie Downer, but a lot of the stuff that I've benefited from or has enabled all this to happen either doesn't exist or is being reduced. If I was the same person from the same family background growing up now, I would not be where I am. It's so difficult now and it doesn't feel like it's being properly addressed. For artists and creatives wanting to get into the industry now, it's so fucked. " We promised honesty on this podcast, and Joe certainly came through.

For the latest episode of Give me a break, Harriet is joined by Naomi Rea, the London-based Editor-in-Chief of Artnet News. Naomi has spent the last decade untangling the knots of the global art world – from high-stakes auctions and blockbuster exhibitions to the stranger corners of contemporary culture. Naomi was born in Belfast in 1992 and grew up in Brussels. She studied english literature and philosophy before following her calling to arts journalism, an industry with increasingly few full-time and freelance opportunities. “There's a lot of art writing out there, there's not a lot of art journalism,” she says. The conversation offers a candid look into a world that thrives on opacity, the importance of holding power to account and how to balance professional relationships and journalistic integrity. Harriet picks Naomi’s brains on the mysteries of the market and the fine art of pitching ideas to publications. "If you didn't get a response to an idea, pitch another one. At some point, someone is going to like one of your ideas and take a chance on you. I think you really do have to inure yourself to rejection and to being ignored."

For the third episode of Give me a break, Harriet is joined by Yorkshire-born artist and writer Harland Miller. Best known for his darkly comic reimaginings of vintage Penguin book covers, he blends sardonic humour with sharp social commentary. His debut novel Slow Down Arthur, Stick to Thirty, a poignant story about a boy travelling around the North of England with a David Bowie impersonator, laid the foundations for a lifelong interest in storytelling. White Cube gallery, who has represented Harland for over 20 years, describe him as a "raconteur", which we can certainly vouch for after spending three hours with him in the Plaster podcast studio. Harland takes Harriet on path of winding, witty anecdotes from childhood and his early career, to sticking it out as a painter when painting was not de rigueur. "People would ask, 'what do you do?' And I would say, well, I'm a painter. And they would look at you with a mixture of curiosity and pity."

For the second episode of Give me a break, Harriet is joined by Bengi Ünsal, director of London’s ICA. Bengi grew up in Turkey, and began her career in music programming. Coming up, she was a self-proclaimed “shy person” with no degree or ‘ins’ in the arts, but eventually proved a knack for finding new talent as an early champion of acts like Muse, St Vincent and Nils Frahm. In 2016, she moved to London to become head of contemporary music at Southbank Centre before taking the top job at the ICA in 2022 (the first woman to do so in over half a century). There, against a backdrop of ever-shifting funding and political challenges, she has transformed the ICA into a hotbed of experimental art, music, film and cross-disciplinary happenings – a place where people want to be, and be seen. Bengi and Harriet discuss everything from begging for jobs and bad bosses to overcoming shyness, going bankrupt and starting over.

Getting work in the art industry can be a rough ride, filled with mystery, elitism and BS. Our new podcast, 'Give me a break' hears from those who've made it work their way, often against the odds. Hosted by Harriet Lloyd-Smith, managing editor at Plaster, Give Me A Break is not a career how-to guide; it's a series of honest stories about different paths to success (however that's defined). Spoiler alert: nothing was easy. For episode one, we’re joined by British painter Pam Evelyn. Since graduating from the RCA in 2022, Pam has exhibited internationally, joined Pace gallery, and become a standout of her generation. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing to get here. Pam and Harriet open up about failure and false starts, juggling hospitality jobs, losing confidence and regaining it. Pam Evelyn interviewed by Harriet Lloyd-Smith; Production: Dora DB; Editing and sound: Steven Llewellyn; Image: Pam photographed by Robert Glowacki, courtesy Pace Gallery