On this episode of Interview Roulette, we connected Mickey Yang and Iris van der Zee, for a juicy interview that spills the inspirations leading up to UNFAIR23.
What famous artist would you like to be friends with?
Pipilotti Rist, because she is fun, intelligent and a brilliant artist! Actually I already met her in Rotterdam two years ago when she was building up ‘Het Leven Verspillen Aan Jou’ at Boijmans van Beuningen and we have stayed in touch since. I imagine someday we will hang out at Madurodam.
If there’s one museum in the world you could live in, which one would you choose?
Z33 in Hasselt. I am part of their group-show. The staff members are really great and involved so I could imagine that they would make good roommates and great breakfast. I also love the architecture, and during the buildup we had mouthwatering Lebanese food from the restaurant next door. I could also live in Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona, Italy; they have a beautiful sinister art collection, and the museum feels like a historic castle with minimalist Japanese architectural additions, with a garden and a view over the river and enough space to have workshops, and studio spaces and great parties.
Pictured: Museo di Castelvecchio in Verona (Italy)
How did you decide on the series of works you will show at UNFAIR23?
I often work with sound, movement and storytelling in large solo presentations. In the context of this fair I’m more limited in space, sound- and lighting-conditions. I’m actually quite excited by this as I’ll be re-inventing my practice for UNFAIR. I hope I can still catch the attention of the visitor in the middle of 60 solo presentations.
Where in the world could you sit for a week to observe the crowd?
The crowds on the Scheveningen Pier or the Haagse Markt will never get old. Especially in summer, there’s more neon, rhinestones, spray tan, and leopard print than your eyes can handle, and that’s exactly what I love about it.
If you weren’t working as an artist, what kind of job would you have?
I have many interests and combine my artistry with a part-time job as a development employee in a museum. If I weren’t an artist, I’d like to write more or make exhibitions as a freelance curator.
What art do you fear?
I can’t say I’m afraid of any particular type of art, but there are artworks or artists that really irritate me. But maybe that’s the same ;). I get triggered by art that does not come from an intrinsic motivation but from a purely commercial one. I would call it talkshow-art: artists you see in talk shows because their work has great commercial success, is knowingly provocative, or because its maker is a socialite. What touches me is that it normalizes a distorted picture of what art is, or what it should be.
Mickey Yang Cosmic Current (2023)
Iris van der Zee – Untitled (2021), from the series Virtual Sculptures (2020 – 2022)
These interviews are part of an ongoing series of short interviews between Unfair artists, originally published through our mailings. Check the overview to read the other interviews or subscribe to our mailing list through the button below: