The Epicurean Vagabonds
Aesthetic Arrest Podcast
Aesthetic Arrest Podcast: Mami Wata, Borges, Orquesta Akokán & Our Anniversary Dinner at The Balcony!
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Aesthetic Arrest Podcast: Mami Wata, Borges, Orquesta Akokán & Our Anniversary Dinner at The Balcony!

Plus Bamako*Chicago Sound System, Ashley Suszczynski, Angela Saini & Penny Siopis!

“The aesthetic experience is a simple beholding of the object . . . you experience a radiance. You are held in aesthetic arrest.” - Joseph Campbell

Aesthetic Arrest is our weekly dip into the Epicurean pleasures we’ve been enjoying lately. Cheers to that!


This Week’s Apéritif: Domaine Tselepos Amalia Rosé

Domaine Tselepos Amalia Rosé at The Balcony Restaurant & Bar in Athens, Greece [Photo by Ryan Wildstar]

Ryan Wildstar’s Recommendations:

Reading: Borges: Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges (translated by Andrew Hurley)


Listening: Caracoles by Orquesta Akokán


Looking: The Art of Ashley Suszczynski


Viewing: Mami Wata (2023) — written & directed by C.J. "Fiery" Obasi, produced by Oge Obasi, cinematography by Lílis Soares, music by Tunde Jegede, starring Evelyne Ily Juhen, Uzoamaka Aniunoh & Rita Edochie


Tasting: Wedding Anniversary Dinner at The Balcony Restaurant & Bar in Athens, Greece

Tarama (Greek Fish Roe Mousse) with Smoked Eel, Pita Bread and Bottarga
Yellowtale Amberjack Ceviche, with Bonito, Citrus, Truffle Broth, Chili and Nectarine
Grilled Octopus with "Plaki" Jus and Green Fava Mousse

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Ryan Elston’s Recommendations:

Reading: The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality by Angela Saini


Listening: Bamako*Chicago Sound System by Ballaké Sissoko and Nicole Mitchell


Looking: The Art of Penny Siopis (from the current exhibition, Penny Siopis. For Dear Life. A Retrospective, at the National Museum of Contemporary Art [ΕΜΣΤ] in Athens, Greece)

All images from the Penny Siopis. For Dear Life. A Retrospective Press Kit:

Penny Siopis. For Dear Life, 2020. Glue and ink on canvas. 190 x 90 cm. Courtesy of a Private Collection, Cape Town. Photograph: Courtesy of the artist
  1. Penny Siopis. Note 4, 2013. Glue and ink on paper, 24 x 32 cm. Catherina and Michael Roets. Photograph: Courtesy of the artist

  2. Penny Siopis. Pinky Pinky: Blue Eyes, 2002. Oil and found objects on canvas. 41 x 50 cm. Private collection of Teresa Lizamore, Johannesburg. Photograph: Courtesy of the artist

  3. Penny Siopis. Restless Republic: Groundswell, 2017. Newspaper cuttings, glue, ink and found object on canvas. 300 x 200 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Stevenson, Cape Town, Johannesburg and Amsterdam. Photograph: Courtesy of the artist

  4. Penny Siopis. Three Trees, 2009. Glue and ink on canvas, 200 x 250 cm. Private Collection, Johannesburg. Photograph: Courtesy of the artist

  5. Penny Siopis. Who is Pinky Pinky?, 2002. Oil and found objects on canvas, 152 x 91 cm. Private collection of Theresa Lizamore, Johannesburg. Photograph: Courtesy of the artist

  6. Penny Siopis. Ambush, 2008. Μελάνι και κόλλα σε καμβά. 200 x 250 εκ.. Συλλογή Skinner, Γιοχάνεσμπουργκ

Penny Siopis. Shame, 2021 (detail). Installation | 182 paintings. Mirror paint, oil, enamel, glue, watercolour, paper varnish and found objects on paper. Courtesy of the artist

Viewing: Mami Wata (2023) — written & directed by C.J. "Fiery" Obasi, produced by Oge Obasi, cinematography by Lílis Soares, music by Tunde Jegede, starring Evelyne Ily Juhen, Uzoamaka Aniunoh & Rita Edochie


Tasting: Anniversary Dinner at The Balcony Restaurant & Bar in Athens, Greece

Grilled Mediterranean Sea Bass [Photo by Ryan Wildstar]
Galaktoboureko (Greek Custard Pie) with Caramelized Phyllo, Pistaccio, Lemon Verbana, Orange Syrup and Mango Ice Cream
Greek Yogurt Cremeux with Honey, Caramel Honeycomb and Walnut Ice Cream

So that’s it for this week! But we want the dinner party to continue!

So here is this week's question for the table:

For Season 3, we want to know which of our weekly recommendations resonate with YOU, our beloved listeners and readers!

Out of everything we talked about on this week's podcast, which of our recommendations are most interesting to YOU?

What piques your interest? What are you excited to check out? Or maybe we discussed something that you've already read (or seen or heard or tasted) and enjoyed as we much as we do?

Tell us about it in the comments!

And thank you for joining us for Season 3 of the Aesthetic Arrest Podcast!

Cheers to that!

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The Epicurean Vagabonds
Aesthetic Arrest Podcast
We are Ryan and Ryan, and what we propose to you here is an observational celebration of the most extraordinary people, places, books, art, music, food, wine and cultures we have had the honor to experience together over the last 22 years.