Tala Madani on Transgressive Painting, Artistic Irrelevance, and the Dangers of Nostalgia

In an interview with Ross Simonini for ArtReview, painter Tala Madani discusses her psychologically charged work, which since 2006 has featured cartoonish, hypermasculine figures engaged in transgressive acts. Her paintings, such as the 2019 series 'Cum Shot' and 'Shit Mom', explore the unspeakable through imagery of bodily fluids and darkly lit scenes. Madani, who moved from Tehran to Oregon as a teenager, rejects readings of her art tied to her Iranian identity, arguing that the artist's persona is irrelevant to the work's power. She views painting as conceptual thinking and a language, seeking pure experience over pre-understood ideas. Madani criticizes artistic nostalgia as aligning with conservative political positions, citing figures like Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. She describes her creative origins in childhood, where drawing served as communication and sublimation of sexual desires due to limited porn access. The conversation touches on the pandemic's impact, with Madani noting that limbo breeds conservatism and that artists must weed out insecurity-driven strains. She emphasizes that artworks become independent entities with their own intelligence and soul, transcending their maker.