Severance Radio is an on-air book club dissecting Ling Ma’s satirical, dystopian novel Severance. The novel is a moving family story that explores loneliness, corporate monotony, and survival in the midst of a global health crisis.

In this episode, artists Brent Holmes and Lance Smith delve into art as a vehicle for imagining a new world and the current social order. How does the apocalypse inspire their art? 

Brent Holmes is a multi-disciplinary artist with a deep affinity to words- historical, epistemological and ontologically themed creative projects. His primary objective is to nudge others into a conversation he finds interesting and then become distracted and walk away. His most recent work has centered around the philosophical, and cultural consequences of Hellenistic hegemony, and representations of antiquity within the modern era.

Lance Smith is a multidisciplinary artist, illustrator, and teacher based in Las Vegas, NV. Their work often explores themes of loss, distortion, and liberatory practices. Smith is the Artist Manager of the Rogers Art Loft. Smith has been featured in multiple local and national group exhibits as well as solo exhibitions past and forthcoming. Smith has been awarded two residencies at the Arquetopia Foundation International Artist Residency program most recently as a part of their Mentorship Program in Puebla, Mexico.