Kim Gordon Was Always an Artist First

Kim Gordon· Guest0:00

[gentle music] I guess now I feel like I have the art career that's, or art practice rather, that suits me. You know, it's not conventional.

Kate Brown· Host0:15

[upbeat music] I'm Kate Brown, and this is The Art Angle, a podcast from Artnet News. Kim Gordon, artist, musician, filmmaker, writer, and co-founder of the iconic rock band Sonic Youth, is one of the most restlessly creative figures in American culture. Over the past four decades, Gordon's established herself as a singular voice, and she has moved between mediums with an ease that few can achieve. She published her memoir, Girl in a Band, in 2015 to wide acclaim. Her visual work has been shown at institutions including the Andy Warhol Museum, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and the Busan Biennial. And her 2024 album, The Collective, earned her two Grammy nominations. It's a record built on trap beats and sharp cultural commentary. She was 71. But Gordon's always identified as an artist first. She's the subject of two concurrent exhibitions opening this month at the arts organization Amant in Brooklyn. The first is her solo survey called Count Your Chickens, which brings together paintings, ceramics, film, and readymades spanning nearly 20 years of work. The second is called Folded Group, and it's a group