Ben Luke talks to Amy Sillman about her influences—including writers, film-makers and, of course, other artists—and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work.
Amy Sillman's Split 2 (2020)
Photo: David Regen
Sillman, who was born in 1955 in Detroit, Michigan, grew up in Chicago, and lives and works in New York, is one of the most brilliant and original painters working today. She also pushes her painting into experimental territory through animated drawings and zines. Among a wealth of references, she discusses the early influence of Saul Steinberg, her passion for the work of artists as diverse as Prunella Clough, Maria Lassnig and Howard Hodgkin, and the enduring influence of Gertrude Stein and Fred Moten.
Amy Sillman's "Frieze for Venice" (detail from an installation of 100+ works on paper) (2022)
Exhibited at "The Milk of Dreams," the 59th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy
Photo: Andrea Rossetti
She reflects on a life-changing trip to India and the diverse cultural landscape of late-1970s New York. Plus, she gives insight into her life in the studio and answers the ultimate question: what is art for?
Amy Sillman's Untitled (blue, black) (2023)
Photo: John Berens
• Amy Sillman: Temporary Object, Thomas Dane Gallery, Naples, 26 April-29 July.
• Faux Pas: Selected Writings and Drawings, After 8 Books, 300pp, €20/£20/£24.95 (pb); amysillman.com
This podcast is sponsored by Bloomberg Connects, the arts and culture app.
The free app offers access to a vast range of international cultural organisations through a single download, with new guides being added regularly. They include a host of US public galleries and museums where Amy Sillman has shown her work, including the Drawing Center in New York, where Amy showed one of her animated drawings in the exhibition After Metamorphoses in 2017, and ICA Boston and Aspen Art Museum, two venues for Amy’s first museum survey in 2013. Download the guides to these galleries and you’ll find a wealth of content about their latest programmes, from in-depth audio about the Hervé Télémaque show in Aspen, to a beautiful image gallery for the Drawing Center’s current exhibition by the Chinese artist Xiyadie: Queer Cut Utopias, to the ICA’s extensive content about Simone Leigh’s installation for the American Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale, which travels to Boston in April.