Gina Beavers
Gina Beavers is an artist based in New York.
What artworks would you have/do you have in your drawing room?
Well first I want a film with audio by David Wojnarowicz playing in the background as the sound, I can’t find the title! It was in the show of his work at the KW Institute in Berlin. His face is half illuminated and he speaks straight to camera, about mortality and about ‘bigotry masquerading as virtue.’ This piece is such a reminder of cruelty and hope and living in the face of death and his brilliance.
Any Vuillard
Any Bonnard
Then:
Matthew Barney, Drawing Restraint DRAWING RESTRAINT 1-6 (1987-1989) (video)
Lee Bontecou, Untitled 1961 (relief, sculpture)
Mark Bradford, Dead Hummingbird, 2015 (mixed media)
Judy Chicago Double Head 1986 (cast paper)
Edgar Degas, Combing the hair 1896-1900 (painting)
Julie Doucet My New York Diary, 1998 (graphic novel)
Jay DeFeo The Rose 1958-1966 (painting)
Sam Gilliam, Robbin’ Peter 1980 (painting)
Jasper Johns, Target with Four Faces 1955 (painting, sculpture)
William H Johnson, Athlete, 1939-1940, (Painting)
Mike Kelley untitled 1990 (afghans and stuffed animals, sculpture)
Elizabeth Murray big green piece from the 80’s show at Pace in 2018. I can’t find the title!
Alice Neel, Annie Sprinkle, 1982
Howardena Pindell Untitled 87b, 1977
Faith Ringgold, The French Collection Part I, #4, The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles (1991) Quilt painting
Diego Riviera The History of Mexico mural, 1929-1935, National palace, Mexico City (you know, the whole mural, it will fit in my drawing room right?;)
Lorna Simpson ‘Easy to remember’ from 2001 (video)
Paul Thek, Birthday cake, 1964 (sculpture)
All of the issues of the ‘Twisted Sisters’ comics, created by Aline Kominsky and Diane Noomin 1976-1994
Jack Whitten Self-portrait II, 2014 (painting)
What books would you read/are you reading in your drawing room?
DeKooning An American Master by Mark Stevens and Analyn Swan
Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel
New Art City by Jed Perl
Please Pay Attention Please Bruce Nauman’s words
On Beauty and Being Just by Elaine Scarry
A Short Life of Trouble by Marcia Tucker
Sue Coe Dead Meat
Wake up, Sir! by Jonathan Ames
Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel
The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope
A brief history of seven killings by Marlon James
The Swerve, How the World became modern by Stephen Greenblatt
What movies would you watch/are you watching in your drawing room?
ET, Steven Spielberg
Far From Heaven, Todd Haynes
Beyond the Black Rainbow, Panos Cosmatos
A Room with a View, James Ivory
Intolerable Cruelty, Cohen Brothers
Also a genre of female driven TV series:
Fleabag
PEN15
Chewing Gum
Sex Education
Derry Girls
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
And Pose!
What music would you listen to/are you listening to in your drawing room?
Two of my friends, Denise Kupfershmidt and Josh Slater DJ a weekly show on SoundCloud called Late at Nite. It is simply the best.
The NYTimes Popcast has a list of essential Riot Girl songs in conjunction with their Riot Girl episode. I highly recommend it!
Exile in Guyville by Liz Phair, 1993
Kiri Te Kanawa sings Verdi and Puccini Arias, 1984
Some songs in heavy rotation:
Fantasy by Mariah Carey
Think (about it) Lyn Collins
So into you, Tamia
My Life, Foxy Brown
Operator, Midnight Star
Lost in Japan, Shawn Mendes
Aston Martin Music, Rick Ross, Drake, Chrisette Michelle
Bon Appetit, MUNA Remix, Katy Perry
Evan finds the Third Room, Khruangbin
Junie, Solange
SWEET, Brockhampton
All Night (Feat Knox Fortune) Chance the Rapper
Real Love, No Shade, Roman GianArthur
Django Jane, Janelle Monae
Who would you/do you invite into your drawing room?
This is really hard for me, my family, my closest friends, all my friends: artists, curators, dealers, collectors, anyone I know in the artworld, all the people from my neighborhood, the nail salon, the restaurants, my friend who works at the CD store, the Parking lot attendants, the whole staff and owners from the deli downstairs, the people in my studio building, the cashiers at the Whole Foods in Newark, 99.9% of Uber and taxi drivers...
Also this short list of people I want to have an urgent one on one with for an hour:
John Dizikes (my late Uncle who was a cultural historian. He was so brilliant and kind)
Elaine De Kooning
Arshile Gorky
Mike Kelley
Jamaica Kincaid
Fran Lebowitz
Barack Obama
Ru Paul
