Episode No. 683 of The Modern Art Notes Podcast features artist Tala Madani and curator Jamillah James.

James is the curator of “The Living End: Painting and Other Technologies, 1970-2020” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Madani is among the 60-plus artists included in the exhibition. “The Living End” surveys the arc of painting over the last half-century with a particular focus on artists who have redefined painting by using new technologies, imaging techniques, and their own bodies. The exhibition will be on view through March 16, 2025. Jack Schneider assisted James with the show. The exhibition catalogue is available from the MCA for under $20.

Works James and host Tyler Green discuss include those pictured or streamed below and:

• Stan VanDerBeek, Poemfield No. 2, 1966–71;
• Barbara Hammer, No No Nooky. T.V., 1987; and
• Carolee Schneeman, Eye Body works (18 of 36), 1963.

Previous MAN Podcast guests included in “The Living End” include:

• Cory Arcangel;
• Robert Bechtle;
• Leidy Churchman;
• Laura Owens;
• Howardena Pindell;
• Sarah Sze; and
• Jack Whitten.

The Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington is presenting “Tala Madani: Be flat,” a solo exhibition featuring recent and newly commissioned work that explores the influence of symbols, language, and mark-making on power dynamics and individual agency. It was curated by Shamim M. Momin and is on view through August 17, 2025.

Madani makes paintings and painting-informed animations that consider gender, political authority, and representation. Her work typically includes bald, middle-aged men in bizarre, often hilarious circumstances. She has had solo shows at museums such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Secession, Vienna; the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, and the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo.

Works Madani and Green discuss include those pictured or streamed below, and:

• Tala Madani, The Audience, 2018; and
• Tala Madani, Fan (trailer), 2020.

Air date: December 5, 2024.