Primary Market Podcast

In this episode of Primary Market Podcast, artist Erik Sommer traces his path from playing drums in Duluth, Minnesota to becoming a New York–based painter, sculptor, and curator whose work explores impermanence, decay, and control over time. Sommer discusses his unconventional art education—shaped more by museums, studios, and the city itself than formal training—along with his early experiments using cement, found materials, and large-scale installations.The conversation moves through his MFA

Episode 7 spotlights Taylor Morrison (@weopen), an emerging force in contemporary art discourse whose unfiltered critiques routinely draw more traction and eyeballs than many of the art market’s most canonized critics. From a basement painting studio in upstate New York to the global stage of Instagram, Morrison represents a new era in which the internet is leveling the playing field—allowing a sharp-eyed art lover from Troy, NY to influence taste and conversation at a scale once reserved for

In this episode, Topper sits down with painter Kiki Valdés, whose journey through the art world has been anything but linear. Born to Cuban parents and raised between Miami and New Jersey, Kiki discovered drawing as a refuge—an early lifeline in classrooms where he struggled to read but excelled at making images that spoke louder than words.Kiki shares how comic books, cartoons, and the chaos of 90s Miami shaped his early style, and how mentors—from public school teachers to art-world icons like

In this episode of Primary Market, Topper Luciani sits down with Aidan Thomas and Devora Kaye, founders of the Macedonia Institute, one of the most unique and influential artist residencies in the U.S.They share how a chance upstate house purchase turned into a decade-long project hosting over 150 artists, building a print studio, fostering community, and creating a pressure-free environment for experimentation. We also dive into the realities of the contemporary art market, life as collectors, and

In Episode 4 of Primary Market, host Topper Luciani sits down with Freddy Husbands, a Minneapolis-based artist whose mesmerizing works of intricate line drawings explore labor, flow, and the sacred in repetition.From his early years at an art-focused middle school to his experiments with massive hand-drawn works using Micron pens, Freddy reflects on:* The spiritual and mathematical resonance of sacred geometry* How the evidence of work itself becomes the message* His critique of art world

In this episode of Primary Market, host Topper Luciani sits down with Los Angeles artist Brendan Donnelly — a cult-favorite creator known for blending subculture, nostalgia, and dark humor into fine art. The two explore Brendan’s journey from skateboarding and punk shows in 1990s Connecticut to his Hollywood-inspired exhibitions.They discuss:* How album art, Nirvana, and ’90s skate culture shaped his visual language* The origins of his viral vampire character* Hollywood’s seedy underbelly, parody

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit primarymarket.substack.com

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit primarymarket.substack.com