Episode 41. Artery: on art, authorship and anthropology. Eliana Otta Vildoso and Nuno Cassola Marques with Frederick Schmidt and Sera Park

Who is responsible for making a work of art? In each episode of this collaborative podcast series, one anthropologist, specialising in a particular cultural context, has a conversation with an artist of their choosing, exploring issues of authorship and responsibility in art. Ranging across geographical locations and creative practices, discussions address and unpack the conceptualisation of the artistic person, authorship as centred upon an individual or bounded group, and the development of responsibility for artworks during and after their making. Each episode brings a fresh perspective on where ideas come from, what agency an artist feels in the creation of their work, and how, and in which contexts, ownership and responsibility for the artwork are claimed. Ultimately, as a collection, the series encourages listeners to think about ‘the artist’ and ‘the artwork’ as dynamic processes in a relationship of authoring. Series 3, Episode 3 of Artery features Eliana Otta Vildoso and Nuno Cassola Marques with Frederick Schmidt and Sera Park. Eliana Otta Vildoso (Lima, 1981) holds a degree in art, an MA in Cultural Studies from the Universidad Católica del Perú, and a PhD in Practice from the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. She co-founded the artist collective Bisagra in Lima and the ecofeminist collective Mouries in Athens. She coordinated the curatorial team for the permanent exhibition at Lugar de la Memoria, la Tolerancia y la Inclusión Social. She has taught at the Art Faculty of PUCP, Corriente Alterna and Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes. She lives and works between Vienna and Athens. Website: eliana-otta.com https://drivingthehuman.com/prototype/virtual-sanctuary-for-fertilizing-mourning/ Instagram: eliana.otta Nuno Cassola Marques (Aveiro, 1984) holds a degree in Fine Arts and an MA in Contemporary Art Practice from the University of Porto, Portugal. He co-founded and co-curated the first edition of the Wadi Rum film festival, and co-founded the community kitchen Khora in Athens, which continues to serve 1200 meals a day to people in need. In addition to his activism, he works as a cinematographer and filmmaker. He lives and works in Athens. Website: www.nunocassola.com Interviewers: Frederick Schmidt is currently completing his PhD in Social Anthropology at Cambridge with the title “Un-Contemporary Arts: Norms and Forms in a Greek Art School”. Based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork in Athens (2020-2022), his PhD concerns the imbrication of private and public educational institutes in the landscape of artistic education in Athens, and makes the case for a reappraisal of formalist methodologies in visual anthropological research. Sera Park is Associate Lecturer in Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews. Her PhD (University of Cambridge, 2022) examined the collective mourning and activism that emerged in the aftermath of the Sewol Ferry Disaster in South Korea. Her research interests include social movements and activism, the affective and moral dimensions of social life, and death, mourning, and memorialization. Artery is a podcast organised by Iza Kavedžija (University of Cambridge) and Robert Simpkins (SOAS, London) and supported by the AHRC. Music: Footsteps, by Robert Simpkins.