What world are we living in, really? We spend so much time traversing through different realms of reality and existence that sometimes our digital self meshes with our physical self and we can pretty much create any persona we want at any given time. Emma Stern is brilliantly creating art in these realms. She has observed and participated in the metaverse with her Lava Babys but found a way to take that universe into the most traditional of places; the easel and oil painting. It's a fascinating concept that is both traditional and of the most the most contemporary, and she is having so much fun doing it.

Her practice of taking 3D worlds and then taking that into the studio to paint has gained her international attention and made the NYC-based painter one of the newest voices in the contemporary art landscape. With shows at Half Gallery, Almine Rech and more, she is challenging our perceptions of what we consider "Internet art" and the possibilities of painting.

In this conversation of the Radio Juxtapoz podcast, Emma Stern discusses her process, what she thinks about the role of woman shaping the metaverse aesthetic and how a little salacious fun is not a bad place to explore our world.

The Radio Juxtapoz podcast is hosted by FIFTH WALL TV's Doug Gillen and Juxtapoz editor, Evan Pricco. Episode 094 was recorded on August 15, 2022 in London, Los Angeles and NYC. Follow us on @radiojuxtapoz