エピソード

  • Kunst Speak With Brask - Banks Violette
    2026/10/15
    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
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    35 分
  • Kunst Speak With Brask - Josh Smith
    2026/10/08
    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
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    30 分
  • Kunst Speak With Brask - Eddie Martinez
    2026/10/01
    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 Eddie Martinez. But today, we’re not talking about Eddie’s art. Instead, we’re talking about one of our shared great loves - Michael Mann’s 1995 masterpiece, the movie Heat.
    Spoiler alert: we talk about everything involving this film. So if you haven’t seen Heat yet, you might want to watch it before listening.
    Heat is an epic crime film starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, and an incredible ensemble cast. At the centre of the film are two men on opposite sides of the law: LAPD detective Vincent Hanna (Pacino) and professional thief Neil McCauley (De Niro). As Hanna closes in on McCauley and his crew, their professional lives begin to collide with their personal ones, creating one of the most intense and beautifully constructed cat-and-mouse stories ever put on screen.
    For us, Heat is much more than a crime movie. It’s a film about obsession, loneliness, professionalism, loyalty, and the choices we make in order to live the lives we want. It’s also a film that has had an enormous influence on cinema, inspiring countless filmmakers, actors, and movies that came after it.
    In this episode, we talk about some of the films that have been directly inspired by Heat, as well as the influence the movie has had on the crime genre as a whole. We share some of our favourite quotes, talk about the characters and performances we love, and revisit some of the scenes that have stayed with us over the years.
    And, of course, we discuss what makes Heat so endlessly rewatchable - from the iconic downtown Los Angeles shootout and the legendary diner conversation between Pacino and De Niro, to the atmosphere, the music, the cinematography, and all those small details that make the film feel so real.
    A conversation about one of our all-time favourite films, why we keep coming back to it, and why, more than 30 years later, Heat still feels like a masterpiece.

    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
    @eddie.martinez.studio
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    34 分
  • Kunst Speak With Brask - Tony Matelli
    2026/09/24
    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 Tony Martelli in his new studio in Brooklyn, New York. Tony is an American sculptor who has gained recognition for his hyperrealistic works, using a wide range of techniques and materials.
    For Tony, art is both an idea and a thing. The materiality has a voice of its own, and every stage of the creative process is fascinating.
    He has a motto that captures the philosophy of his studio: “There’s no amount of work that is too much to create a thing.” Hours, money, and complications should never be obstacles to creating. No matter how much work a piece requires, there is no amount of effort that will stop him from bringing an idea into existence.
    We talk about his first job working for Jeff Koons and about the process of making sculpture - how a work gradually takes shape through the act of making it. There is never enough time to get something completely right. You can always make changes, but at some point, you have to let go and finish the piece. No act of creation is ever perfect, so you have to learn when something is good enough.Tony is also a collector and surrounds himself with art made by his friends. But unlike many other artists, he doesn’t have any of his own work hanging in his private home.
    We also talk about his sculpture The Sleepwalker and the ideas and process behind the 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
    @tonymatelli
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    36 分
  • Kunst Speak With Brask - Michel Auder
    2026/09/17
    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 Michel Auder, a video artist whose work is deeply rooted in recording the life happening around him. He captures moments from his life and later edits the footage in his own distinctive way, transforming his personal video archives into intimate and often unexpected works of art.
    One of his own favourite works is Chasing the Dragon: My Last Bag of Heroin, which he made in 1982. Around this time, he had realised that he had developed a heroin addiction. He began talking about his experience and trying to make sense of what was happening to him, exploring how he felt and what he was going through.
    For the video, he had an actor play a version of himself. He dressed the actor in his own clothes, creating a kind of reflection or alter ego.In 1986, Michel went to rehab for the last time. He had been to rehab several times before, but this time something changed. The treatment worked, and he never used heroin again. Before entering rehab, he had made a video in which he took what would become his last bag of heroin. He then spent a month in rehab.
    Years later, in 1994, Michel went back through his video archives. Among the footage he had recorded before going to rehab, he discovered the video of himself taking his last bag of heroin. He realised what the footage represented and turned it into a finished video work.
    In this episode, we also talk about his marriage to artist Cindy Sherman, his latest exhibition, and the way he continues to use his personal archives as material for 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
    @michelauder
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    24 分
  • Kunst Speak With Brask - Marco Lorenzetti
    2026/09/10
    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 Marco Lorenzetti in his studio in Brooklyn, New York, where he works as a painter.
    We talk about how his artistic practice has evolved over the past ten years. For much of his career, Marco has been a highly figurative artist, but his work began to change after a group exhibition he participated in with a group of friends in 2024. His paintings became looser and more abstract, marking a shift in his practice from being more illustrative towards becoming more painterly.
    For Marco, the difference between drawing something and allowing something to exist through paint is profound. Paint has its own language, and understanding that language became an important part of his development as an artist.
    After the exhibition, Marco decided to step away from showing his work publicly for a couple of years. Instead, he spent his time in the studio, focusing on painting and studying his craft. During this period, he began to question who he was making paintings for. He felt that he had been producing work to be collected rather than creating it for himself.
    As an artist matures, Marco believes that the work should mature with them. The paintings should become a reflection of where you are in life, how you have changed, and what you have come to understand.

    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
    @_marcopaull
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    33 分
  • Kunst Speak With Brask - Ethan Cook
    2026/09/03
    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 Ethan Cook in his new studio in Brooklyn, New York. Ethan is best known for his woven textile works, which are presented as paintings but are made entirely from woven cotton. These pieces form the core of his practice. In addition to his textile works, he also creates works on paper and is currently developing a new series of sculptures.
    Originally from Ore City, Texas - a small town of around 800 people - Ethan moved to New York in 2008 at the age of 25. It was there that he began to fully dedicate himself to his artistic practice. A self-taught artist, he started out as a painter before discovering weaving, which has since become his primary medium.
    As a child, Ethan excelled in mathematics and competed in math tournaments. His analytical mindset is evident in many of his earlier works, where structure, systems, and repetition play a central role. For him, making art has also become a form of personal therapy - something he needs in order to feel balanced and connected.
    Ethan often compares his creative process to composing a song. A work is not complete until it feels whole, much like a song that has finally reached its last note.

    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
    @ethancookethancook
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    26 分
  • Kunst Speak With Brask - Kathy Grayson
    2026/08/27
    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 Kathy Grayson at The Hole in New York, the first and flagship location of the gallery she founded in June 2011.The gallery's opening was anything but smooth. The space had barely been renovated when a major rainstorm hit, sending water pouring into the gallery during the inaugural exhibition by FriendsWithYou. Despite the chaotic beginning, The Hole has grown into three galleries - two in New York and one in Los Angeles.
    Kathy's journey into the art world began long before she became a gallerist. While still in college, she started an independent gallery project of her own at the college. It wasn't an easy path, but her persistence paid off. Her first exhibition consisted entirely of the email correspondence it had taken to organize the show. The project sparked controversy, and she was even reported for publishing private communications. Ultimately, the head of the museum defended the work, describing it as a piece of conceptual art, allowing Kathy to remain in college.
    After graduating, she joined Deitch Projects as a receptionist and was eventually promoted. Immersed in New York's art scene, she spent her days working and her nights surrounded by artists, often arriving late to the office. Rather than being fired, those experiences eventually became the subject of a book.Today, The Hole is known for championing emerging artists, with many of its exhibitions marking an artist's very first gallery show.

    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
    @theholenyc
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    37 分