Abbas Akhavan is a Montréal-based Iranian artist. His exhibition Curtain Call, which explores shared cultural heritage from the ancient world through to the present day through a series of installations, opens in June at Copenhagen Contemporary art centre. Here, he tells us about his morning routine, his favourite Montréal bookshops and his top tunes for drifting on – rather than drifting off.
What news source do you wake up to?
Ideally I wake up to no internet. We tend to set our phones on aeroplane mode the night before and stay disconnected until an hour or so after we rise. I like to start the day with a coffee, a book and some music without lyrics.
Do you have a favourite bookshop?
The Word in Montréal on 469 Rue Milton. The Canadian Centre for Architecture also has a great bookshop.
Which radio station and DJ do you listen to?
I like the CBC’s classical radio stations. As for DJs, Frank & Tony, Mehmet Aslan, Nina Kraviz, Hadi Zeidan and Tala Mortada.
Any film recommendations?
I recently saw a great Swedish film called Border. A longtime favourite is Before Night Falls.
What about books?
I tend to read three or so books at the same time, not because I’m really smart but because I am a slow reader and have a very short attention span. I’m currently reading Queuejumping by Marina Roy, who is brilliant, and How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell. I’ve just finished James Baldwin’s Going to Meet the Man. I’m also trying to read more poetry, especially by Aisha Sasha John and Ocean Vuong.
What do you listen to before drifting off?
Chihei Hatakeyama is a constant. I listen to it to drift on rather than off. Also, Hope Sandoval.
From Monocle website
