The Breakdown podcast features conversations with comedians and visual artists as part of my ongoing endeavor to connect the worlds of comedy and art. I have been involved with the arts for more than ten years—as a curator, writer, and art history graduate student. Art has sustained my interest for so long in large part because at its height, it reveals entirely new realities and encourages me to examine the world anew.
While working in the arts all of these years, I’ve also seen innumerable live comedy shows. For a while, I put these performances in the category of pure fun, but a few years ago it hit me that my relationship to comedy runs much deeper. Great comedians speak to my strongest beliefs and fears only to turn around and convince me of their absolute absurdity. As I laugh, my body accepts the comedian’s truth before my mind has time to protest.
Like art, comedy introduces us to new realities, often with great intensity and speed. And yet, it has rarely been considered part of or even relevant to the contemporary art dialogue. I maintain, however, that the mediums of comedy and art have much to offer one another. Comics can remind the art world that work needn’t be serious or academic in order to instigate change. The art world’s methods of elucidating culture can be applied to the work of comedians with fruitful and fascinating results.
Breakdown explores the inner workings of jokes, whether exhibited or performed. The show contemplates the power of humor and examines how comedians and artists use it in their work. The podcast aims to introduce listeners to surprising and innovative concepts and encourages them to participate in the dialogue. Stay tuned for more Breakdowns as the conversation continues to evolve.