Name: Darren Bader
Occupation: Not sure
City/Neighborhood: New York, N.Y.
What project are you working on now?
Figuring out my next project.
Your show at MoMA PS1, titled “Images,” features live cats, French pastries, adoptable iguanas, and salad. How did you select this group of objects?
They were all highly appealing as sculpture.
The proceeds from your show go toward animal shelters and environmentalist causes. Do you consider this exhibition to be a form of activism?
No. Active activism would take on a different form I think. The exhibition was/is about sculpture and how to achieve it. What appears as activism is just a means to an end: sculpture. The success of the end is compromised by the means. But I think I like this, too. I am a big animal rights and environmental advocate (too often in private).
Visitors are able to adopt the animals featured in your exhibitions. Have you ever taken to one of the animals so much that you adopted it yourself?
I wish. My apartment is very small. Once I upsize, adoptions begin.
In your experience, what are the perks and challenges of working with live animals?
Perks are the general joy and/or wonder of seeing a living being that’s not human. And then learning to engage with it “on its own terms.” Hopefully a natural, mutual affection (love) ensues. Challenges are always the ethical ones. It’s hard being human.
What is the future of the readymade?
The readymade had and has no future.
Jerry Saltz termed your work, “late-late-late post-Conceptual Relational Aesthetics.” Agree or disagree?
Totally into it either way.
What’s the last show that you saw?
Antoine Catala at 47 Canal.
What’s the last show that surprised you? Why?
Same show. Antoine has a unique approach. I like that I like it, as well as liking the ‘art’ and ‘art objects’ it encompasses.
What’s your favorite place to see art?
I have a big place in my heart for the Met.
Do you make a living off your art?
Somehow and usually.
What’s the most indispensable item in your studio?
Laptop.
Where are you finding ideas for your work these days?
Everywhere except the places I’m not looking. Such a drag!
Do you collect anything?
Books, and weird stuff that people give me.
What’s the last artwork you purchased?
The only work I’ve ever purchased was a photograph by Dan Asher.
What’s the first artwork you ever sold?
My will.
What’s the weirdest thing you ever saw happen in a museum or gallery?
Fuck, I’m so bad at this stuff. No memories.
What’s your art-world pet peeve?
Bad art.
What’s your favorite post-gallery watering hole or restaurant?
Bacaro is around the corner from me and they have lots of red wine. I go there.
Do you have a gallery/museum-going routine?
Whenever I can. Which is less frequently nowadays. Not thrilled about that.
Know any good jokes?
One.
What’s the last great book you read?
“The Ambassadors” by Henry James
What work of art do you wish you owned?
Oh no, hard question. I don’t know, probably some late 15th-century Italian portrait.
What would you do to get it?
Become a lot of people.
What international art destination do you most want to visit?
The Arena Chapel probably.