Title: “Nice, but Is It Art?”
Brace yourselves, aesthetes and iconoclasts—Episode 69 of Art World Exposed is here, dripping with intellectual pretense and borderline absurdity. This week, Saldo Caluthe and Tomas Sinke revel in their most “critical” episode yet. Expect reviews of London’s hottest exhibitions, existential debates about art’s purpose, and an interview with an artist who may or may not live in a Damien Hirst vitrine.
00:00 – 04:12 | Intro: “Because the World Needs Us”
Saldo and Tomas kick things off with their signature brand of irony, lamenting that their “vital” voices aren’t being amplified enough in the cultural landscape. Topics include their disappointment with the Tate’s coffee bar (Saldo: “Is unicorn milk too much to ask?”) and an inexplicable digression into Tomas’s recent enlightenment via a Kusama Infinity Room (“It’s like staring into my own genius”).
04:13 – 16:45 | London Exhibitions: What We Love (and Loathe)
1. “Takashi Murakami: Japanese Art History à la Takashi Murakami” at Gagosian Grosvenor Hill
Tomas declares this “a shameless act of ego” but follows up by admitting he bought a Murakami plush on the way out. Saldo insists it’s “Kawaii capitalism at its finest” and wonders aloud if Murakami can turn his grocery list into a $1M screenprint.
• Rating: 4/5 ironic winks.
2. “Brasil! Brasil! The Birth of Modernism” at the Royal Academy of Arts
Saldo waxes lyrical about the “vivid collision of colors and cultures” while Tomas smugly informs listeners he’s “already seen the original Oswald de Andrade manuscripts in São Paulo.” A deep dive into the politics of tropical surrealism ensues, complete with the phrase “neo-colonial guilt.”
• Rating: 5/5 guilty sighs.
3. “Jim Dine: Tools and Dreams” at Cristea Roberts Gallery
Saldo dismisses Dine’s “insipid obsession” with tools as “mid-century dad-core,” while Tomas defends the work as “a poignant study of human utility in decline.” Expect a petty argument over which of them actually knows what a spanner does.
• Rating: 2/5 begrudging nods.
16:46 – 28:30 | Interview: “The Artist Who Pickled Himself”
Saldo and Tomas sit down with avant-garde sensation Victor Kossuth, whose latest show at an unnamed East London warehouse involves him living inside a Damien Hirst-inspired formaldehyde tank for a week. Victor discusses his “journey into self-preservation as a critique of environmental decay,” while Tomas accuses him of being “performance art’s answer to stunt YouTubers.” Saldo interrupts to ask Victor if the tank smells.
• Key Quote: “Am I dead or alive? That’s what I’m asking you, and that’s what I’m asking myself.”
• Don’t Miss: Tomas wondering aloud if pickling himself would finally win him a Turner Prize.
28:31 – 41:02 | Discussion: “Is AI Killing the Painter?”
Saldo and Tomas take on the controversial question of whether AI-generated art is “the death of human creativity or the birth of infinite mediocrity.” They analyze a recent exhibition of AI works at a Shoreditch pop-up, leading Tomas to denounce the tech as “Dada for dilettantes.” Saldo, ever the contrarian, argues that “at least it’s cheaper than Tracey Emin.” The segment devolves into a heated debate about whether an AI could ever “understand” Duchamp’s urinal.
41:03 – 50:25 | Listener Questions: “Ask the Arbiters of Taste”
This week’s carefully curated queries include:
• “Should I invest in a Warhol print or a Rothko fridge magnet?”
• “What’s the etiquette for fake-laughing at bad performance art?”
• “How do I respond when someone asks what my art ‘means’?”
Saldo’s advice is predictably scathing, while Tomas goes full Zen by suggesting all art should “mean nothing and everything simultaneously.”
50:26 – 57:40 | Review: “The Show That Left Us Speechless (Literally)”
Saldo and Tomas review “Silence”, an experimental sound art exhibition at the Barbican. Featuring an entirely silent room, the show is described as “a bold rejection of sensory capitalism” by Saldo and “proof the curator forgot to plug in the speakers” by Tomas. Expect ruminations on John Cage, performative listening, and the ethics of snoring in a gallery.
• Rating: 3.5/5 awkward coughs.
57:41 – 1:03:30 | Closing Rant: “Who Actually Owns Culture?”
In their final tirade, Saldo and Tomas question the ownership of culture in a world of billionaire art collectors and Instagram aesthetics. Tomas quotes Walter Benjamin extensively, while Saldo throws in a reference to Dua Lipa’s latest album. The conclusion? “No one owns culture, except maybe Larry Gagosian.”
Extras:
• Links to all exhibitions discussed (because we know you don’t trust us).
• A Spotify playlist inspired by the podcast (Sad Songs to Look at Art To).
• Discount codes for Victor Kossuth’s new merchandise line (“Pickle Me Victor” t-shirts now available in acid green!).
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Find us on Instagram where Saldo shares blurry photos of wine-stained catalogues, and Tomas posts cryptic captions about “late-stage curation.” Leave a review if you feel brave enough—or better yet, send us a performance art video about your feelings.