VC PROJECTS

In this episode, we have an introductory conversation with Dutch writer  Ester Spitz , discussing her project  ES: A study based on journals . Based in Los Angeles, Ester shares insights into the inspiration and influences behind transforming her personal journals into the work  ES —which translates to “You Are” in Latin. With sincerity and depth, Ester reflects on her early life, the origins of h...

In this episode, host Victoria Chapman (VC Projects)  is joined by  Bethan Dear —theatre maker, performance artist, and writer—for a deep and expansive conversation about art, healing, and the currents of life that shape creative practice. Bethan reflects on her journey as an artist who works across performance, theatre, and writing, weaving personal narrative with collective storytelling. She spe...

In this episode, we connect with interdisciplinary artist  Donna Cooper , speaking from her home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia—part of the ancient Appalachian range, a land she's returned to and now calls home. “I live in what we call a Holler (pronounced Halla)” Donna says—a small valley set in between hills. This beautiful visual opens our talk on her powerful art series,  Fire Tal...

In this episode, we hear directly from Steven Dayvid McKellar about his solo exhibition, on display from January 25 – March 15, 2025 at El Nido located in Los Angeles, featuring seven mixed-media paintings on canvas, created during eight days of isolation during Fall, 2021 at an abandoned firehouse in Henderson, Kentucky. This compelling body of work is unapologetically honest, diving into themes...

In this episode, we sit down with co-curators Victoria Chapman and Stevie Kincheloe to explore the inspiration behind  Now and Now and Now , a captivating group exhibition at El Nido Art Space during winter 2024. Renowned as a sanctuary for honoring the human condition, El Nido offers a reflective setting for engaging in both personal introspection and universal conversations about existence, all...

In today's episode, I sit down with Los Angeles-based artist Shane Guffogg, whose post-postmodernist paintings have captured attention over the past 25 years. We delve into Shane's synesthesia, a unique perception that has profoundly shaped his artistic journey, influencing not only his painting process but also how he envisions his work in terms of sound. Shane shares a fascinating glimps...

In this episode, we dive into a conversation with Ipshita Maitra, a lens artist based in India, renowned for her work in mixed media and collage. Our focus is on her series “Where Voices Call,” captured through color photography. The discussion starts with Ipshita’s morning rituals, which lead into the deeper psychic and spiritual themes of her series. Ipshita explores the secrets of the forest an...

Renowned artist Shane Guffogg and art historian and curator Thierry Tessier go head-to-head completing the Proust Questionnaire. French novelist, critic, and essayist Marcel Proust created the “Proust Questionnaire” to better understand an individual. The questionnaire is still used by interviewers today. In this episode, Tessier interviews Guffogg. The questions are direct, and Guffogg’s answers...

Renowned artist Shane Guffogg and art historian and curator Thierry Tessier share an insightful talk about Impressionism and its influence. Guffogg begins by discussing his own sources of influence and inspiration. Tessier adds depth to the conversation by sharing historical facts, touching on key points about the artists involved and the socio-cultural context of the time. This engaging conversat...

Conversations About Art: Guffogg/Tessier (Talk 1) Exploring Artistic Visions and Cultural Narratives Welcome to this special series of talks featuring artist Shane Guffogg and curator Thierry Tessier. Tessier, an art historian and curator, engages in a detailed conversation with world-renowned artist Guffogg. They discuss art history, studio processes, and compare European and contemporary art, fo...

In this episode, I sit down with Stevie Kincheloe amidst the immersive ambiance of her art installation, "My Self Being My Self" at El Nido art space in Los Angeles. We delve deeply into the genesis of this captivating creative venture, tracing its inception, evolution, and the pivotal stages of the installation's development. Our conversation unfolds with precision, capturing the intr...

In this episode, we delve into an engaging art discussion recorded at the opening reception of "Lines and Dots - Thoughts Before Language" exhibition held on January 27th, 2024, in the Blue Room at El Nido, Los Angeles. Shane Guffogg and I engage in a heartfelt dialogue, meticulously exploring a curated selection of paintings spanning from 1991 to 2018. The exhibition serves as a comprehen...

During this episode, we speak to Ipshita Maitra, a lens-based artist from India who works across various forms of mixed media and collage. We discuss Ipshita's "At Home, In Exile" series, captured in black and white photography. We also hear Ipshita's views on the artist's relationship with their practice, reaching the spiritual through the physical, being a vessel, influences,...

In this episode, artist Shane Guffogg discusses his recent solo exhibition at the Bovolo Museum in Venice, Italy, inspired by T.S. Eliot's "Four Quartets." The exhibition, featuring twenty-one paintings spread across two rooms, explores themes of reaching into silence, conquering time, and the coexistence of flesh and fleshless. Guffogg highlights the significance of the largest work a...

This is an informal talk during “cocktail hour” as Shane Guffogg, and I share a chat about Shane’s recollections of going in and out of Sam Francis’s studio, in Venice, California, during the late 80s into the early 90s. Guffogg was in his late 20s and a studio assistant to Joe Goode, and Ed Ruscha. Sam’s studio was next door to Goode, and Guffogg would often be called into his studio to help with...

In this episode we sit down with Shane Guffogg in Hollywood to discuss the two films that have been made about his ranch by Eric Minh Swenson. The first film was made two years ago and the second film a few weeks ago. Both share the artists progress and state of mind at his central California ranch and art studio. We talk about how it all began and where he is today. From a former exotic bird farm...

In this episode, we speak to Stevie Kincheloe, co-founder of The Living Artist, about their upcoming creative Workshop Series on Living in Alignment with Your Creative Life-Cycle™, where artists learn to navigate their creative fears and find their inner truth. I asked Stevie about the particulars for the upcoming series slated to start June 6, 2023. She genuinely answers all of my questions very...

In this episode, we speak to Steven Dayvid McKellar, a musician, painter, and poet from Cape Town, South Africa. After a 20-year music career, touring globally with his band, Civil Twilight, Steven began releasing his first solo records and returned to his roots in painting. As a child, he was trained in realism by his aunt and renowned South African artist Donna McKellar before finding community...

In this episode, we meet in Los Angeles with KARNEJ and Stevie Kincheloe regarding the inauguration of Gestura1 (2/16/23) and 1.2 (2/18/2023) and to untangle the curious web of what and how the experience came about. Was it a performance? Maybe but not; instead, from my point of view, it was something between a birth and exorcism (without the evil spirits.) We unpack the mystery of both events and...

We open this episode meeting Aya Metwalli in Bierut, just a three-weeks after her performance at ECLAT Neue Musik Festival, Stuttgart, accompanied by Tony Elieh. We hear about the audience and their 40-minute improvised set. Interestingly, Aya opened with an interpretation of an Oum Kulthum lyric. This brings an intriguing conversation about conjuring spirits. Aya states she enjoys “singing songs...

In this episode, we meet in Hollywood at El NIDO to speak to KARNEJ about the  gestura  - a series of monthly performances encompassing sound, words, objects, movement, and artificial intelligence components. The series seeks to make visible the importance of gesture in play, gestura1 is a scenario contrived by KARNEJ with the help of dancer/interpreter Stevie Kincheloe. Both will collaborate with...

In this episode, we speak to Los Angeles-based international artist Shane Guffogg about his upcoming exhibition,  Xingu , medium to large-scale works on paper and found objects installation. Opening Saturday, February 18th, 2023, at El NIDO by VC Projects, 1028 N. Western Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90029. The artist reception on the 18th also features a curated music program by pianist Anthony Cardel...

In this episode, I talk to Valentina Magaletti, drummer-composer, before her solo performance at Zebulon LA on January 23, 2023. The Italian-born and London-based musician has an inventive approach to drums and percussion. Valentina’s versatile technique, which can incorporate anything from vibes and marimba to contact microphones and found objects, results in a style that is forever evolving. The...

In this episode, we meet in candlelight with interdisciplinary artists Stevie Kincheloe and Steven Dayvid McKeller to discuss their sonic and poetic performance “Who Would I Be.” Within our talk, we learn about their partnership as well as their collaborative efforts that touch on aspects of entity/identity. The artists reflect on what it means to exist within the moving landscape, searching for t...

In this episode, via Zoom, we are transported from Hollywood to Beirut, where I speak to Egyptian artist Aya Metwalli who is a vocalist, composer, improviser, and performer. Her favorite things are microphones and mirrors. Aya likes to crochet melodies with noise and is constantly listening out for music within the chaos around her. The conversation is incredibly fascinating as we discuss a playli...