episode 247 | Rob Swainston and Zorawar Sidhu

Published July 1, 2025

 
 
 
 
 

episode 247 | Rob Swainston and Zorawar Sidhu

This week Miranda speaks with Rob Swainston and Zorawar Sidhu just after their powerful exhibition Flashpoint closed at Petzel Gallery in New York.

In this conversation, they talk about the complex relationship between image-making and meaning in an age of media saturation—from their early collaborative experiments to the deeply layered woodcuts responding to climate change, civil unrest, and political anxiety. They explore what it means to "think like a printmaker," the emotional weight of working with tragic imagery, and how labor itself can be a form of staying present amidst the chaos.

Their process is as layered as their prints—technically rigorous, conceptually rich, and unapologetically political. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the flood of images on your phone, this conversation offers a powerful counterpoint: one of deep looking, slow making, and artistic resistance.