THE FOCUS

Jennifer Pepper combines handwriting, plant life, and recycled beekeeping equipment to create mixed media artworks and installations that seek to express the arcane beauty of standardized systems, such as that of the wooden Langstroth beehive and handwriting. The visual poetry of geometric forms (like the bee cell, the honeycomb frame, etc.), are repeated, written, drawn, or sculpted in increments lending themselves to subtle changes that create intricacies and can become compelling as form. Jennifer Pepper, Studio Visit, 2021 Jennifer Pepper, Studio...

Rachel Bubis: Through language, imagery and subject, the act of protest is a big part of your work. Have the events of the past year affected your perspective or practice? Nuveen Barwari: Unfortunately, not much has changed. The only thing that I think has changed a little is the fact that a lot of us have been thinking harder about where and how we can contribute best and that doesn’t necessarily always have to be through the arts. Just be...

Rachel Bubis: In your current body of work, you explain that collecting is part of your practice. Have you always collected stuff? If so, what are some examples of your collections? Where does this desire come from, to keep hold of things? Thomas Sturgill: I collected baseball cards and whatnot, as a kid, but I think my main influence is that I grew up on family land in a house that contained multiple generations worth of stuff in it. Random...