Sarah Awad

Episode 468 / Sarah Awad (b. 1981, Pasadena, CA) has recently exhibited at Night Gallery, Los Angeles; Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Manila, Philippines; The Third Line, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; L.A. Louver, Venice, CA; V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark; Long Beach City College Art Gallery, Long Beach, CA; and Galerie Ernst Hilger, Vienna, Austria, among others. Her work has been featured in Artillery, Modern Painters, Art in America, Artsy Editorial, ArtScene, and New American Paintings, among others. Her work is included in the collection of the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX, and the Sharjah Art Museum, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, among others. She currently teaches on the faculty of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at UC Irvine and is based in Los Angeles.

Episode 467 / Julian Lennon is an English musician, photographer, author, and philanthropist. Julian started a music career in 1984 with his debut album and has since released six more albums. He has held exhibitions of his photography and has written several children's books. In 2006, he produced the environmental documentary film Whaledreamers, which won eight international awards. In 2007, he founded The White Feather Foundation, whose stated mission goal is to address "environmental and humanitarian issues".In 2020, Julian was executive producer of the Netflix documentary Kiss the Ground about regenerative agriculture and the follow-up film Common Ground. In 2022, Julian was executive producer of the documentary film Women of the White Buffalo, which chronicles the lives of women living on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.On 17 September 2010, Julian opened an exhibition of 35 photographs called "Timeless: The Photography of Julian Lennon" with help from long-time friend and fellow photographer Timothy White. The photographs include shots of his brother Sean and U2 frontman Bono. In 2023, Lennon showed a series of photographs in an exhibition titled ATMOSPHERIA at William Turner Gallery in Santa Monica, California. He currently has a solo show up at Fremin Gallery in Chelsea titled ‘REMINISCENCE,’ that runs through April 6th. 

Episode 466 / Marcus TroyMarcus Troy is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores identity, heritage, and cultural storytelling. Deeply influenced by his Caribbean roots, his art reflects the folklore, traditions, and spirituality that shaped his upbringing in a Trinidadian household as a first-generation Canadian. A recent trip to the Caribbean provided further insight into his intuitive practice, unveiling the profound connection between his subconscious and his heritage.Beyond his roots, Marcus’s artistic vision is shaped by his global travels, experience in fashion and textiles, and deep curiosity about the world. His work merges traditional techniques with contemporary narratives, delving into history, mysticism, and the evolving dialogue between art and society.

Episode 465/ Zoe HawkZoe Hawk (b. 1982, St. Louis) is an American artist living in Columbia, Missouri. Zoe's paintings deal with the simultaneously joyful and fraught experience of girlhood, exploring issues of feminine identity and belonging. Her work has been published in New American Paintings, Plastik Magazine, and and online in features by Artsy, Hi-Fructose, The Jealous Curator, and BOOOOOOOM. Exhibitions include From Pangs To Pangolins, curated by Trenton Doyle Hancock (Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles); SPRING/BREAK Art Show and FREIZE LA exhibits curated by Michael Slenske (Los Angeles); Wayward Girls (Spectrum Fine Art, Seattle); and forthcoming group exhibition Story Time (Rhodes, London). Special collaborative projects include pieces for ZARA's Women In Art clothing collection, released worldwide in 2019, the Day Dreamers Tarot Deck, created for TRUE/ FALSE international film festival 2020, and fabric print designs for the Fall/Winter 2022 collection by Paul & Joe, Paris. In 2024, Zoe was the recipient of the United Women's Art Prize for Painting & Drawing. She has attended artist residencies in Qatar, Belgium, Ireland, Norway, and the USA. Zoe holds a BFA in studio art from Missouri State University, and an MFA in painting from the University of Iowa. 

Episode 464 / Esteban JeffersonEsteban Jefferson was born in New York City in 1989. He received his BA and MFA from Columbia University. He’s had solo shows at 303 Gallery, Tanya Leighton in Berlin and Goldsmiths in London. He’s had group shows at Hangar Y in Paris, Uncle Brother in Hancock, NY, Herald St in London, the ICA in Miama and more. His work has been featured in Art Monthly, The New York Times, ArtReview, The Brooklyn Rail, Frieze, Art In America, the New Yorker, Artforum and more. 

Episode 463 / Rose Nestler (b. 1983, Spokane, WA) is a mixed media sculptor who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. She holds an MFA from Brooklyn College and BA in Art History from Mount Holyoke College. Recent solo and two-person exhibitions include Public, London, UK (2024), Pangeè, Montreal, QC (2023); Mrs., New York, NY (2022); and Carvalho Park, New York, NY (2022) Selected group exhibitions include Asya Geisberg, New York, NY (2025), Plains Art Museum, Fargo ND (2024); Chart, New York, NY (2024), (The University of Leeds’ Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, Leeds, UK (2023); Boston University, Boston, MA (2023); Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, Rugby, UK (2022); Perrotin, New York, NY (2022); Hesse Flatow, New York, NY (2021), and Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA (2021); She was an artist in residence at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans in 2022. Nestler has also conducted residencies at The Fores Project, London, UK, and The Lighthouse Works, Fishers Island, NY, among others. Her work is part of the permanent collection of the Frye Art Museum, Seattle, WA, USA and has been featured and reviewed on Art21, in The Brooklyn Rail, BOMB Magazine, Hyperallergic and New York Magazine. She is part time faculty at Parsons School of Design and College of Staten Island (CUNY). 

Episode 462 / Doug Aitken Doug Aitken is an artist whose work explores every medium; from sculpture, film and installations to architectural interventions. His films often explore the modern condition, and his installations create immersive cinematic experiences. Notable artworks include electric earth (1999), sleepwalkers (2007), SONG 1 (2012), Station to Station (2013), Mirage (2017-ongoing), NEW ERA (2018), New Horizon (2019), Flags and Debris (2021), and HOWL (2023). He has collaborated with numerous artists and musicians and his artwork has been exhibited widely. Aitken's latest artwork, Lightscape (2024), was produced by Aitken as a collaboration between the LA Phil and LA Master Chorale and premiered at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. 

This week we are rereleasing this conversation from August 2018 with painter and art critic Walter Robinson. Walter passed this past Sunday and we have lost a singular voice in the world of art. Walter’s impact on all of us who have met him or read his words was huge. I immediately thought of our conversation in his Queens studio when I heard the news. He was a joy to speak with and I hope this revisiting of our talk brings some relief to those missing him and for those who didnt know Walter, I think this is a good ‘get to know you’ chat between two artists. May he rest in peace. 

Episode 460 / Greg Ito Greg Ito (b. 1987, Los Angeles, CA) earned his BFA from San Francisco Art Institute. His work has been exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions including at Institute of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA; Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA; Maki Gallery, Tokyo, Japan; Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA; SPURS Gallery, Beijing, China; Lyles and King, New York, NY; Jeffrey Deitch, New York; NY and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), San Francisco, CA. Ito’s work is included in the permanent collections of public institutions including the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA; Institute of Contemporary Art Miami (ICA Miami); K11 Art Foundation, Hong Kong; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). Greg lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. his current show  MOTION PICTURES is at the Long Beach Museum of Art.

Episode 459 / Will St. John is a painter born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1983. Trained in the techniques of classical realism during his formative years in Italy, Will has since ventured into new territories under the influence of the contemporary New York art scene. His masterful renditions of Drag Queens and Trans models, intertwined with antique porcelain figurines, extend beyond traditional painting. Some portraits find their way into porcelain statues, snuff boxes, and lockets, freezing moments of beauty and authenticity in time. Will has exhibited in the US and abroad at locations such as Cealum Gallery, Spring Break, Arcadia Contemporary and others and he was a resident of the American Academy in Rome in Italy. He currently lives and works in New York City.