Unibrow Radio

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.