SHEREE: I was drawn to art from a very young age. It was something I was good at, and I received a lot of praise and encouragement for it, which of course made me want to keep doing it. But I also think I grew up with a very particular awareness of beauty. There is such a strong culture of beauty in Persian life–in art, architecture, textiles, food, gardens, even in the way things are arranged and presented. My mother really helped define that for me. She had a strong sense of beauty and an appreciation for objects and materials. I think I absorbed that long before I understood it as something that might inform my life as an artist.
I don’t remember one definitive moment when I decided, “this is what I’m going to do.” It was more that art kept being the place where I felt most curious and most myself. Eventually, it became difficult to imagine doing anything else.
SHEREE: I was drawn to art from a very young age. It was something I was good at, and I received a lot of praise and encouragement for it, which of course made me want to keep doing it. But I also think I grew up with a very particular awareness of beauty. There is such a strong culture of beauty in Persian life–in art, architecture, textiles, food, gardens, even in the way things are arranged and presented. My mother really helped define that for me. She had a strong sense of beauty and an appreciation for objects and materials. I think I absorbed that long before I understood it as something that might inform my life as an artist.
I don’t remember one definitive moment when I decided, “this is what I’m going to do.” It was more that art kept being the place where I felt most curious and most myself. Eventually, it became difficult to imagine doing anything else.
SHEREE: Absolutely. I’m much more interested in something that reveals how it was made than something that feels seamless or overly perfected. In my work, you can often see traces of my hand; for example in an irregular ceramic shape, or in thinking about the string being tied around the nails. Those imperfections and interventions aren’t things I’m trying to disguise, rather they are part of the language of the work.
I’m also interested in fragmentation because I think that’s much closer to how we actually experience the world. We remember things in pieces. We understand ourselves and other people incompletely. I’m interested in bringing disparate things together and allowing them to remain slightly unresolved. I suppose that has become increasingly true of how I think about life as well. Wholeness doesn’t necessarily mean perfection.
SHEREE: Absolutely. I’m much more interested in something that reveals how it was made than something that feels seamless or overly perfected. In my work, you can often see traces of my hand; for example in an irregular ceramic shape, or in thinking about the string being tied around the nails. Those imperfections and interventions aren’t things I’m trying to disguise, rather they are part of the language of the work.
I’m also interested in fragmentation because I think that’s much closer to how we actually experience the world. We remember things in pieces. We understand ourselves and other people incompletely. I’m interested in bringing disparate things together and allowing them to remain slightly unresolved. I suppose that has become increasingly true of how I think about life as well. Wholeness doesn’t necessarily mean perfection.
F&E: The art world, like many industries, hasn't always made space for women to lead. What has your experience been, and what's helped you push through?
SHEREE: I’ve learned that you have to keep making the work and trust your own instincts, even when the recognition isn’t immediate.
What’s helped me most has been developing a strong sense of my own voice and surrounding myself with other artists and women I respect. Community has been incredibly important to me. I’ve also learned not to wait for permission. There is something very powerful about deciding that your ideas and your ambitions deserve space and then continuing to make that space for yourself.
F&E: What advice would you give to your younger self or a young woman who has a desire to build something of her own one day?
SHEREE: Trust your intuition sooner. Don’t spend so much time worrying about whether you’re doing things the “right” way or waiting until you feel completely ready. You rarely feel completely ready.
I’d also tell her that curiosity is incredibly valuable. Follow the things that genuinely interest you, even when you don’t yet understand where they’re leading. Some of the most important decisions I’ve made came from allowing myself to change direction, take risks, and move toward something I couldn’t fully explain yet.
Build a life that belongs to you. Ambition doesn’t have to mean sacrificing tenderness, relationships, family, pleasure, or beauty. You get to decide what a meaningful life looks like for you, and that definition can change as you do.
SHEREE: I would describe my personal style as elegant, but I love that my life gives me so many different opportunities to flex what that means. I can be getting dressed for the Met Gala one night and be in the studio the next morning, where what I’m wearing needs to be comfortable and functional. I travel a lot, I go to openings, I'm a mom, and I work with my hands—there are so many different versions of my life, and I enjoy dressing for all of them.
For me, elegance isn’t necessarily about being dressed up. It’s about ease, confidence, and knowing yourself. That’s something I appreciate about Frank & Eileen. Their clothes have that ease to them, they’re beautifully made and polished without feeling overly precious. I can wear them in the studio, traveling, or out in the world, and still feel like myself.
ESHA: My style is usually a play on proportions—clean, sculptural, and easy. I almost always reach for a button-up; a Frank & Eileen cotton or linen shirt is a staple in my wardrobe. I keep accessories simple but meaningful, often with silver bangles or a pair of gold studs.
SHEREE: I read a lot of theory, particularly photography theory and writing about how we construct our ideas of the self. I’m very interested in the relationship between looking and being looked at—how we see ourselves, how we imagine others see us, and how those two things shape our sense of identity. Roland Barthes has been an important influence, particularly his thinking about photography, time, memory, and the relationship between a photograph and what once existed in front of the camera.
Those ideas inevitably find their way into my work. Photography is really the conceptual foundation of my practice, even when I’m working in sculpture or with other materials. I’m interested in the photograph as a trace, but also in the instability of looking and how an image can reveal something while simultaneously withholding it. That tension between seeing, being seen, and constructing the self continues to inspire me.
SHEREE: I read a lot of theory, particularly photography theory and writing about how we construct our ideas of the self. I’m very interested in the relationship between looking and being looked at—how we see ourselves, how we imagine others see us, and how those two things shape our sense of identity. Roland Barthes has been an important influence, particularly his thinking about photography, time, memory, and the relationship between a photograph and what once existed in front of the camera.
Those ideas inevitably find their way into my work. Photography is really the conceptual foundation of my practice, even when I’m working in sculpture or with other materials. I’m interested in the photograph as a trace, but also in the instability of looking and how an image can reveal something while simultaneously withholding it. That tension between seeing, being seen, and constructing the self continues to inspire me.
F&E: What does being a woman entrepreneur mean to you?
SHEREE: As an artist, I’ve always thought of myself as someone building something of my own. You have to create the work, but you also have to create the structure that allows the work, and your life, to grow. That requires independence, resilience, and a willingness to take risks.
I've never thought of myself as an entrepreneur, but I guess I should reevaluate that title. My goal has always been to fulfill my artistic pursuits while maintaining the business around it, keep a stable and nurturing family life and to show up for my friends and community. I think it’s important for women to feel entitled to ambition, to take up space, and to build lives that can hold all the different parts of who they are.
SHEREE: I am very excited by the fact that my work is currently on view at MoMA! Being included in their collection is a real career highlight because I am now officially in the canon. I see museum acquisitions as my most important goal because it means being collected in the cultural repository of our time.
I am working on a new body of work, experimenting with new mediums, which is very exciting and inspiring for me. I am also having fun playing with scale in my work, particularly with my sculptures. I have a few projects and shows set for the near future, but I am particularly excited about an exhibition at the Parrish Museum in the fall of 2027.
ESHA: My style is usually a play on proportions—clean, sculptural, and easy. I almost always reach for a button-up; a Frank & Eileen cotton or linen shirt is a staple in my wardrobe. I keep accessories simple but meaningful, often with silver bangles or a pair of gold studs.
Thanks for cozying up for 'a cuppa with' Sheree!
To keep up with Sheree and her work:
shereehovsepian.com
@shereehovsepian
Photographed by Kylee Yee
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