Marlene Dumas in conversation with Douglas Fogle

In this episode, Marlene Dumas speaks with curator Douglas on the occasion of her exhibition Cycladic Blues, presented at the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens. Together, they explore Dumas’s evolving relationship with Greek antiquity, her reflections on the aging body, mortality, and desire, and the gestural, intuitive processes behind her monumental new works Phantom Age and Old first present at the Museum of Cycladic Art.

The discussion touches on her early resistance to classical ideals of beauty, her use of photography and abstraction, and the ways her contemporary figures enter into quiet dialogue with ancient Cycladic figurines. Personal and expansive, the conversation offers insight into Dumas’s practice and the emotional resonance of her work today.

Image Credit:
Photography: Sean Smith, The Guardian