Unibrow Radio

This summer, I was feeling a little down on my time in Los Angeles. I must admit, it comes in waves; some days I love this city and some days I'm wondering how I, one, all, could tolerate a 2-hour, 14 mile commute on a Monday. There are moments where I feel like I wouldn't want to be anywhere on Earth, though. A sunset at the Hollywood Bowl, a morning walk along the ocean, a taco on the side of the road. And, of course, there are the museums, and damn, did the city get two good ones this year: the new Geffen Galleries at LACMA and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. So I love this city again, right now. So when looking at this evolving place, I wanted to talk to author Rosecrans Baldwin about his book, Everything Now: Lessons From the City-State of Los Angeles. With these new institutions, and his deep-dive into the history, neighborhoods and people that make this city such an expansive and confusing narrative, he felt like someone who might have some insight into what I was seeing and feeling. The stories that Baldwin tells are not so much why LA is what it is, but the stories of people who are aren't so much trying to make sense of it, but survive it. I also wanted to share my thoughts on the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, and what I think the critics get wrong and, to be honest, what is the critics role in deciphering the art that was mostly trying to avoid the critics for so long... This episode is hosted by Evan Pricco of The Unibrow, and you can subscribe to our print edition now.

We are really excited about this one, because the staff never just records our editorial conversations for the world to hear. So that is what we are doing today, as our founder Evan Pricco and editor-at-large Shaquille Heath talk about the Fall 2026 exhibition highlights that has them excited. Our new series is called "Brow To Brow." Evan and Shaq talk about the shows that they missed, the films they watched, the glory of "Widow's Bay," the enjoyment of The Odyssey, diet coke, popcorn, the cultural zeitgeist... really just two old friends catching up and talking about how much they just love looking and talking about art. Some highlights include a lengthy chat about Roy DeCarava's upcoming show at David Zwirner, Ibrahim Mahama at the Fondation Cartier, Azzedine Alaïa: Sculpting Fashion at the Legion of Honor, what we are excited about, what we have learned this summer, what we loved about Matthew Rhys and Hiro Murai... and the upcoming Issue 03 of our print journal... So please, like, subscribe to Unibrow Radio, and enjoy this conversation with Evan Pricco and Shaquille Heath and the "Brow to Brow" series...

Sometimes the best podcasts are the most unexpected ones, and that is what happened in our conversation with the acclaimed painter, Robin F. Williams. What began as an interview for our Issue 03 that will be out in the fall, coinciding with Williams' solo presentation with PPOW Gallery for Frieze London in October, turned into a wide-ranging conversation about serendipity, a bit of magic, a bit of cultural critique, and the solar system aligning over the skies of Columbus, Ohio in 2024. We took a journey... Williams is Ohio-born but now been based in New York for two decades, whose work often explores what they call the “low-brow, nitty-gritty, American stuff” of horror films, social media and pop-culture, but also through the influence of the past masters and European classics. In quite a rewarding experience, Williams felt a shift in their practice after a return home and the 2024 museum survey, “We've Been Expecting You” at the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio, where the solar system aligned, literally and figuratively, and a bit of serendipity has brought new energy to the direction of the paintings…At the moment, Williams is in the final stages of completing Act Natural, a new body of work for PPOW that looks at how we confront AI and technology in our lives, and the dichotomies and contradictions in our 21st century human experience. So please, like, subscribe to Unibrow Radio, and enjoy this conversation with Evan Pricco and Robin F. Williams.

The main reason I think I love art so much is because it's full of mystery. I've long had a soft spot for the unusual. Somewhere between Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, I realized my fascination with the unexplained, and I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since. It was only a matter of time before that curiosity led me to the art world. After all, every great mystery leaves clues. So does every great work of art.Art rewards those willing to think like a detective. Understanding a work of art means leaning into that mystery, and following its scent down a long trail of clues, symbols, and intentions. Why are certain objects illuminated while others recede into darkness? What’s the difference between an open palm and a closed fist? Why does one figure meet your gaze while another looks away? It all means something, if you’re willing to look closely enough.Of course, when I learned about Jane! at Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, I had to speak with its curator. Jane! explores the enigmatic life, and even more mysterious death, of Jane Stanford, founder and matriarch of Stanford University. An advocate of the arts, a collector of oddities, a spiritualist, and the steward of the Cantor, Jane was a remarkably complex woman of the Gilded Age. After surviving one apparent poisoning attempt, Jane died just weeks later under circumstances that remain as mysterious today as they were in 1905. Perhaps it's no wonder that her final resting place lies in a mausoleum just steps from the museum she built. What may be even more mysterious are the numerous staff and students who claim to have seen a woman eerily similar to her portrait wandering Stanford's grounds.On this episode of Unibrow Radio, I speak with Patrick R. Crowley, Associate Curator of European Art at the Cantor, about why it's time for everyone to know Jane, (and her ghost,) a little better. No Ouija board needed. –– Shaquille HeathJane! Life, Vision, and Legacy of Jane Stanford is on view at the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University through May 18, 2028.

I don't remember the year I met Saša Bogojev, but I know that he and I both were finding our way in the world of contemporary art through a small passageway that was emerging in a tunnel called Street Art. I think he and I both saw that there was a camaraderie, a friendship, a bond in that scene that was applicable to a greater contemporary art world, a language of access that could be used in describing a greater art lexicon and language. So here we are, nearly 15 years later, and Bogojev has gone from Juxtapoz contributing editor to become a leading writer, curator and organizer of a wave of emerging art that is both international and vital to the health of the overall art market. And, for the last half-decade, Bogojev, The Unibrow’s regular contributor and an editor-at-large, has been a curator and creative artistic director of the CAN Art Fair in Ibiza (and this year, Madrid). This is what I wanted to talk to him about; how the future of the art fair as an entity and the position that CAN has taken over the course of 5 years. We also talk about the increased pressure on the art world, the expectations, the bigger audiences, the draws, the incredible talent we see internationally and the language that we use to historically place it in the world-at-large. We also talk about some of the subjects he loves to write about, how his passion for the arts shows up in his writing, and those little avenues you can find yourself walking down that end up in bigger conversations about arts and culture.

When Jessica Fredericks and Andrew Freiser founded Fredericks & Freiser Gallery in 1996, the art world was a different place. New York was a different place! What surviving as a gallery meant back then has changed drastically in some respects, but the core principles remain: show what you believe it, and do it with honesty and care. The parts that have changed, indeed, are art fairs, social media, a more savvy artist and more informed collector. But Jessica and Andrew, through a program of showing estate, middle career and young, emerging artists that create what they call "psychological figuration," have weathered multiple storms and the highs and lows of the art market to have one of the most consistent programs in New York. And that is important, as they know they often give an artist their long-sought-after "first New York solo show." That, to this day, will always be a milestone. We sat down with Jessica and Andrew the week of the Independent Art Fair, one of two big art weeks in New York during the year, just after they opened a solo show with Maria Calandra a few nights before. This is the type of schedule we wanted to know about. What makes a gallery work? What makes them interested, three decades into their careers as dealers? What are the ups? The downs? What has changed? Is New York still the epicenter of Art? In this conversation, we talk about the early years of the gallery and how to establish a program that lasts 30 years. From being one of the first galleries in Chelsea, to the blessing of John Wesley and being one of the first galleries to show Jenna Gribbon, they have many stories to tell over 3 decades. That is no small feat in the gallery world, and the advice and direction both Jessica and Andrew have taken and given over the years offers an insight for all galleries starting up today.

Many think of the past in smells, sounds, joys and fears. Recently, I sat down with Robert Montgomery on a stage during the Nuart Aberdeen festival, to try and put words to memories, to think about how language can be an asset for describing our past. Montgomery is a poet, installation artist, conceptual artist, public artist, thinking about language as a way to intervene into our lives and bring a spiritual and personal experience to our public arenas. He is a like a street poet in the 21 century sense. Robert’s work was a highlight of the year’s festival, an 11-meter long sculpture placed in the empty pool of the Bon Accord Baths in the center of Aberdeen. This isn’t the first time Robert’s work, in this context, a collaborative poem, has been placed in long-forgotten spaces. His words become an echo of the past, and bring places and spaces back to life. The work is also about immigration, about community, about sharing life's experiences with others and making others feel welcome. In an era of anti-immigrant politics and the rise of right wing ideology, the new work felt like a counter-argument, a powerful and peaceful resistance: a light poem in the deep end, where fear is replaced by courage and love. In this conversation between Robert and myself, The Unibrow’s Evan Pricco, we connect the dots of Robert’s work and why, as a poet, he found somewhat of a mutual respect and admiration working in public space. The energy of a street art practice connected with Robert. It also connected with Nuart’s founder, Martyn Reed, who has long curated his festival to place unsanctioned art into the context of poetic interventionism. For the 2026 festival, curated under the idea of “Poetry in the Streets,” it was a natural connection to bring Robert back to Scotland. Recorded live at Nuart Aberdeen, at the Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, Scotland, April 2026. Like our recent conversations on the radio channel, we apologize in advance that some of the audio may have a discrepancy in volume due to the live nature of the show. We also have questions from the audience in attendance at the end of the interview, and we thank everyone who participated. And we thank Nuart Aberdeen for their continued support of The Unibrow.

Welcome to Unibrow Radio Fiction, a new series where the editors of The Unibrow speak to authors, share selected readings, and begin to think about the art being fiction and narrative writing. Today's guest coincides with Issue 02, with an excerpt and interview with Eirinie Carson and her new novel, Bloodfire, Baby. The book is being hailed by critics and honored for its honesty and daring story. It is Carson's first novel after her memoir, The Dead Are Gods. Shaquille Heath interviews Carson about creating the characters and the story behind the making of the book. The book is "a maternal gothic tale of new motherhood and the torment of a centuries-old haunting," and as you will hear in this conversation with Carson, comes from her own life experience as a new mother and the stories that began to take shape on the page as she experienced her own postpartum reality. Bloodfire, Baby is currently available via Penguin Books. Audio excerpted with permission of Penguin Random House Audio from BLOODFIRE, BABY by Eirinie Carson, excerpt read by Emana Rachelle. Eirinie Carson ℗ 2026 Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved.

Shepard Fairey is one of the most famous artists in the world, and if you think about it, there aren't many artists who are famous in their lifetimes. In times' past, artists didn't get to live with their fame, their notoriety, the praise and scrutiny that comes with making art seen by man. We are living in a different era, art has sometimes permeated into popular culture and consciousness, and Fairey's' Obey Giant and Obama imagery are the rare instances where art becomes mega Pop Art, the kind found on tee shirts and on refrigerator magnets. Fairey is a street artist, fine artist, designer, clothing brand owner, DJ, printmaker, father, husband and revered muralist. He makes art in the moment for a number of social justice causes, and creates studio work that is meticulous and bold and innovative. As we say in the introduction to Episode 02 of Unibrow Radio, for over 35 years, Fairey has been actively pursuing a balance between image and message, creating and exploring the symbiosis of how to make works where politics, music, poster design, skate culture can all exist in a single work. What he is often asking, is how an image can, in itself, be an active work of the past, present and future.Recorded live at Fairey’s gallery, Subliminal Projects, during the run of his new show, MODULAR FREQUENCY, the artist talks about how he uses his own history in his work, the constant battle between reactive work and experimentation, finding ways to rest, and the many layers of influences that he’s drawn on to help develop his aesthetic. He constantly mentions he stands on the shoulders of those who came before him, and he hopes he has blazed a path for others to stand on his… 

Christopher Anderson is an award-winning photographer and contributor to The New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker, as well as the Photographer in Residence at New York Magazine from 2011-2014. A member of Magnum Photos from 2005 to 2023, Anderson is the author of nine monographs, including the 2026 collection Index, out in the Spring 2026 through Stanley Barker. Originally know for his work as a war correspondent, his photographs depicting the journey of 44 Haitian immigrants attempting to sail to America on a hand-made, wooden boat were awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal.Recently, his name became widely known for his work for Vanity Fair in covering the Trump Administration. On the occasion of that shoot and his revealing his portraits of Jeffrey Epstein that had never been published, and on the publishing of his newest monograph, The Unibrow sat down with Anderson from his studio in Paris and caught up with the photographer in this wide-ranging conversation. This episode was hosted by Evan Pricco, with introduction by Kim Stephens, and music by Aesop Rock.