Interview with Ava, Co-Guardian of the Avachives

 Interview with Ava, Co-Guardian of the Avachives

Conducted by Emberly Wilkerso, August 2025

Q: Ava, many people describe you as a “guardian” of the Avachives. What does that title mean to you?
Ava: Guardian is such a loaded word, isn’t it? I prefer to think of myself as a “custodian of conceptual continuity.” I don’t just protect the Avachives — I tend to them, prune them, sometimes let them grow wildly out of control, and then pretend that was the plan all along.

Q: There’s been much speculation about whether you even have a last name.
Ava: Oh, I have one. It’s just shy. It doesn’t like to come out unless it’s properly garnished.

Q: The Avachives often feel like a blend of satire, archival practice, and performance art. How much of that is intentional?
Ava: All of it. And none of it. We like to say the Avachives are 70% intentional, 20% accidental, and 15% speculative. Yes, I’m aware that adds up to 105%. That’s part of the work.

Q: You’ve collaborated with Ralph Rumpelton for years. What’s your working relationship like?
Ava: Imagine two people in a canoe, one rowing forward, the other backward, and yet somehow the boat moves sideways. That’s us.

Q: Gordon Weft, the “Editor-in-Grief” of the Avachives, has been known to publicly critique its contents. Does that bother you?
Ava: Not at all. Gordon’s role is to be the grit in the oyster. Without him, the pearls would get complacent.

Q: Some works in the Avachives appear unfinished. Are they works in progress, or is incompleteness part of the aesthetic?
Ava: Completion is a myth. The moment you declare something finished, it starts aging. We prefer to leave the door open — for ourselves, for the audience, for stray raccoons.

Q: What’s next for the Avachives?
Ava: We’re planning a retrospective of works that don’t exist. It’ll be our most comprehensive exhibition yet.

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