Issue 217

‘Whenever I say to myself, “Oh my god, I’ve gone too far,” that’s when I know I’m on the right track.’ – Bruce LaBruce

In the March issue of frieze, Tausif Noor profiles painter, writer and teacher Amy Sillman; underground filmmaker Bruce LaBruce speaks with writer Michael Bullock; and Wangechi Mutu answer our questionnaire.

Profile: Tausif Noor on Amy Sillman 

‘Above all, Sillman embraces the pleasure of process’. Following two New York shows and the publication of Sillman’s selected writings, Tausif Noor profiles an artist whose pragmatic philosophy treats mark-making not as a grand testament to creative skill but as an invitation to follow and think alongside her.

Conversation: Michael Bullock and Bruce LaBruce 

‘A lot of gay teens have self-loathing, so self-love can be really constructive for them’. Ahead of the release of his thirteenth feature film, Saint-Narcisse, cult filmmaker Bruce LaBruce speaks to writer Michael Bullock about porn, punk rock and the aesthetics of radicalism.

Also featuring 

Novelist Deborah Levy contributes ‘1500 words’ on her memories of David Hammons’s A Fly in a Sugar Bowl (1990). A.S. Hamrah writes about Hollywood representations of Trumpland in the age of Netflix. Rianna Jade Parker responds to a single work by Charles Gaines. Plus, Amy Sherlock speaks to Kitty Anderson, Skinder Hundal, Kim McAleese and Miles Thurlow about how 2020 has re-framed localism in the UK arts.

Columns: Power Moves

Josh Freedman and Rebecca Davis examine cultural censorship in China; Lauren Van Haaften-Schick peeks into the artist contracts that rethink the terms of sale; Sean Burns delivers a lesson in the art of power dressing; and musician Sumeet Samos considers the rise of Dalit rap in India. Also, Olamiju Fajemisin speaks to Larry Achiampong about the anti-fascist movement Rock Against Racism, which is currently the subject of an exhibition at De La Warr Pavilion.