Who is responsible for making a work of art? In each episode of this collaborative podcast series, one anthropologist, specialising in a particular cultural context, has a conversation with an artist of their choosing, exploring issues of authorship and responsibility in art. Ranging across geographical locations and creative practices, discussions address and unpack the conceptualisation of the artistic person, authorship as centred upon an individual or bounded group, and the development of responsibility for artworks during and after their making. Each episode brings a fresh perspective on where ideas come from, what agency an artist feels in the creation of their work, and how, and in which contexts, ownership and responsibility for the artwork are claimed. Ultimately, as a collection, the series encourages listeners to think about ‘the artist’ and ‘the artwork’ as dynamic processes in a relationship of authoring.

Episode 4 features Jesús Guevara Rico with Alanna Cant

Jesús Guevara Rico is an artist and art conservator, originally from San José Tateposco in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. He trained at the prestigious Western School of Conservation and Restoration (Escuela de Conservación y Restauración de Occidente) in Guadalajara. Now based in Oaxaca City, Jesús works on and oversees the conservation and restoration of colonial heritage throughout the state, especially religious paintings, frescos, and carvings. Novohispano art also provides inspiration for the content, materials, and techniques of Jesús’s oil paintings, murals, and tattoos.

Find him on Twitter @JesusGuevaraRi3

Alanna Cant is an anthropologist in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Reading. Her work is about aesthetics, identity, material culture, and religion within the ‘economies of culture’ of Mexico and the United Kingdom. Her book The Value of Aesthetics: Oaxacan woodcarvers in global economies of culture was published in 2019 by the University of Texas Press.

https://www.reading.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/alanna-cant
https://www.alannacant.com/

Voice credit: Alfredo Narváez

Artery is a podcast organised by Iza Kavedžija (University of Cambridge) and Robert Simpkins (SOAS, London) and supported by the AHRC.
Music: Footsteps, by Robert Simpkins.