Articles: In the Media Posts

Pen and Brush.

Talkin’ Bout a Revolution: Pyaari Azaadi

 YRB Editorial  2 minute read Pen and Brush presents Talkin’ Bout a Revolution a solo exhibition spotlighting the work of Pyaari Azaadi. Taking its title from Tracy Chapman’s iconic 1988 song, the exhibition reflects Azaadi’s lifelong commitment to art, activism, and community. Known for her fearless approach to materials and form, Azaadi is an acclaimed painter and […]

Pen and Brush.

A kingdom built from what the world throws away — ‘Rubbish: The Queer Kingdom of Leilah Babirye’

By Avalon Ashley BellosPosted on February 12, 2026 Photos by Avalon Ashley Bellos Civilization reveals its moral ledger by what it discards, and Leilah Babirye turns that ledger into a crown.Leilah Babirye works with the abandoned skeleton of society — rubber, scrap, chains, husks, shards — and refashions it into sovereign queer mythology. Rubbish: The Queer Kingdom of […]

Pen and Brush.

Leading U.S. Museums and Galleries Join Nationwide Strike Protesting ICE

Galleries are calling on ICE to leave Minneapolis. Sarah CasconeJanuary 29, 2026 Share This Article The best of Artnet News in your inbox. Sign up for our daily newsletter. Following the Minneapolis shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), last week’s Twin Cities shutdown is going nationwide on Friday, January […]

Pen and Brush.

The Villager Revolution in three acts: A sip and tell at Pen + Brush

By Avalon Ashley BellosPosted on December 17, 2025 Pen + Brush hosted Revolution in Three Acts: A Sip and Tell last week. Photos by Gary Miranda For 131 years, Pen + Brush has done more than maintain a door—it has insisted it remain open. Open to women, non-binary, and trans artists and writers long before inclusion became […]

Pen and Brush.

The Diaspora is too Hauntological: Breaking My Art Writing Hiatus with Talkin’ Bout a Revolution by Pyaari Azaadi

On deities sporting animals from their privates and mysticism for Jackson Heights Vriddhi Vinay Dec 02, 2025 The Backdrop, The Introduction, The Show, The Setting, The Scene – Lemme Paint You A Picture After Pyaari Azaadi Has Painted You One On a late September evening, where an A/C was needed more than ever, sweating through […]

Pen and Brush.

Interview – Pyaari Azaadi Names a Revolution

“I think sometimes of that black and white historic photograph of 100 people giving a Nazi salute, except one person,” the artist told Hyperallergic. “I think that’s me.” Yashica Dutt December 3, 2025 — 8 min read On walking through the doors of Talkin’ Bout a Revolution at Chelsea’s Pen and Brush, it is impossible not to marvel at […]

Pen and Brush.

Pyaari Azaadi’s Epic Mission to Mend the World 

Our relationship as artist and critic deepened in a profoundly unexpected way as we faced darkness together. Hrag VartanianNovember 12, 2025 Subscribe to our newsletter DailyThe latest stories every weekdayWeeklyEditors’ picks and top storiesOpportunitiesMonthly list for artists and art workersSign in with Google OrSign up Sign in to an existing account Privacy Policy We rely […]

Pen and Brush.

Pyaari Azaadi in the press

Pyaari Azaadi doesn’t just make art—she ignites it.  Ever since Eugène Delacroix detonated Liberty Leading the People—that fever-bright tableau where a fearless Marianne vaults the barricades—history has understood that art, when wielded by a mind ablaze, can reorder the universe. Azaadi inherits that spark and tempers it into a jewelled scimitar of intellect and unapologetic feminine […]

Pen and Brush.

‘No Matter What’: The unshakable pulse of Pen + Brush

By Avalon Ashley Bellos Banality by Dana Ellyn is one of the paintings on display at Pen + Brush, a cultural sanctuary with a lineage so rich it hums beneath the floorboards. Founded in 1893 by painters Mary and Janet Lewis—visionary women who dared to organize at a time when the world had yet to grant […]

Pen and Brush.

Alida Wilkinson Interview with Christopher Squier

Interview by Christopher SquierJune 29, 2025 Original Post Link Pen + Brushpresents The Now: Materiality April 24 – June 7, 2025 Alida Wilkinson is one of three artists included in Pen + Brush’s exhibition The Now: Materiality. I met Allie through friends this past year and was excited to catch the show in its final […]