Episode 6: Give me a break with Gabrielle de la Puente of The White Pube

When it comes to the spirit of Give me a break, no one channels it quite like The White Pube. Comprising of Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad, the critical duo has been giving us a break from the elitism, nepotism, and dryness of the art world since 2015. Then, while still at university, they launched their collaborative platform, publishing plucky criticism and essays that cemented their reputation as the go-to antidote to stiff-lipped art world BS. They have since organised grants for working-class creatives, published a manifesto for a new art world, which took a hard stand against racism and nepotism and financial inequality for all (not just artists), and last year, launched the acclaimed book, Poor Artists, an experimental autofiction which explores how capitalism has turned art into commodities and creative expression into a gladiator ring.

In this episode of GMAB, Harriet is joined by one half of the duo: Gabrielle. The pair sink their teeth into the messy business of knocking the art world off its high horse – talking salary transparency, defying art school snobs, lazy reviewing, and why it’s totally okay to have nothing to say, because sometimes words just aren’t enough. “I never want to write stuff that people don’t know what we’re on about. I want us to all be at the table, and we all know what we’re all talking about, and it’s comfortable”. Strap in, this one’s a rodeo.