161: Katie Merz

Radio Juxtapoz by The Unibrow

“No hierarchies are implied.” If you need to know anything about Katie Merz, start with that. The Brooklyn-born and bred artist has been playing on the streets both metaphorically and recently literally, for most of her life. Hierarchies would have got in the way if she let them. Art was all around, or perhaps better stated, it could be all around. For Merz, improvising was the goal, and the ever-evolving canvas that is her home borough gave her the imagination and the thoughtfulness to read and react to the world around her that has now blossomed into a public art career that is also extended into fine art and commercial projects. And this is where we found her.

It was serendipity that at the time we were meeting up with Katie in her Brooklyn studio, she was finalizing her long-awaited collaboration with Simplehuman. The Southern California-brand is famous for their, well, beautifully simple trash can designs and home goods, but there was something rather ideal about pairing an artist to create a design for cans. Ideas come and go in the studio, projects can get thrown away but the function of an artist is to take the everyday object and turn it into art. For Katie, this is in her DNA.

On this episode of The Unibrow's Radio Juxtapoz podcast, we speak with Katie about the collaboration with Simplehuman but also how she involves spontaneous play into her work, how much growing up with the romantic history of NYC plays into who she is and the process of storytelling with lines.

The Unibrow's Radio Juxtapoz podcast⁠ is hosted by Juxtapoz editor, ⁠⁠⁠Evan Pricco⁠⁠⁠. Episode 161 was recorded in Los Angeles and Brooklyn on April 21, 2025. This episode was made possible by Simplehuman and their upcoming capsule collection with Katie Merz.